X-Men: Standing Guard Season 2- Dark Secrets
by 66Dragon
Summary: After the devastating "Days of Future Past" the X-Men struggle to keep afloat. When Worthington Labs announces a "cure" to mutants, Magneto returns to his old ways. A shocking turn of alliances will shake the X-Men to their core, & a mysterious figure arrives with a mysterious purpose. The second exciting season is here! Rated M for sex, violence, & mature themes.
1. S2E01 In Need of an Angel

**WARNING: The ending scene to this episode contains a scene of such graphic nature, I'm not sure I should have published it. I do not recommend that anyone under the age of 18 read the scene, nor anyone who is disturbed by rape, assault, and child brutality. This warning should not be taken lightly.  
>-<strong>

**-  
>AN: Here we are at the Season 2 Premiere! Thank you all so much for your support over the summer! I've been working on this new season for several months now and have already completed through Episode Six. There's so much changing that if I were to reveal even a fourth of it, I'd spoil so much. <strong>

**Right off of the bat I can tell you this season is kicking the intensity to another level. Season 1 was more of a prelude and Season 2 is where things get serious. I can safely say this is the most boring episode this season. If you've been keeping an eye out on my Profile, my stories, or my Twitter, you will have seen a ton of stuff about Season 2 posted. If you haven't been keeping an eye out, I suggest you go look at those updates. Quite a lot has happened and will happen!**

**Now, a bit of sad news. The series **_**Bishop**_** focusing on the Young Avengers will not be taking off because of a lack of reviews. Because of this cancellation, and to get episodes to you earlier, **_**X-Men: Standing Guard**_** will be returning to its old bi-monthly schedule. Don't worry though, you won't be without content for long! Keep an eye out for specials that will explain **_**Bishop**_** and the **_**X-Men**_** universe! You may have also noticed the **_**X-Men**_** episodes have moved to Saturday. For a look at my new schedule, and to see when the Epilogue and other parts of the Episode come out, check my profile!**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy the episode. Just a little reminder to please leave a review. Unlike YouTube, there is no like/dislike button on Fanfiction. The only way for me to know my hard work is being appreciated is for you to leave a review. It doesn't even have to be anything big! Just "good" or "bad" will suffice! I just need to know you're reading. Also, please follow me on Twitter (link to that is on my profile) to keep up with Profile Updates, episode releases, delays, and exclusive sneak peeks at upcoming episodes! If you don't want to be bothered with Twitter (which I would prefer you are), at least hit the Follow and/or Fav button on this story to keep up with Episodic releases.**

**TO ALL NEW READERS: Welcome to **_**X-Men: Standing Guard**_**! You can get a description about the series on my Profile. If you haven't already, go read Season 1. I publish this series in an abnormal way. On Saturdays I will release the episode itself, then on Sundays, I release the "Epilogue", which is similar to a post-credits scene. You all know how important post-credits scenes are.**

**Enjoy the episode and welcome back!  
>-<strong>

"In hindsight we accomplished what was necessary." Charles said. "With the rise of the Sentinel Army, drastic measures had to be taken. Enemies became allies. Allies became strangers. Help came from unlikely sources and many revealed their true potential in a battle against extinction. Unfortunately, battles can not be won without sacrifices. While the Sentinel Army was stopped, it was stopped at immeasurable personal cost. The loss of Nightcrawler, Squid, and Rogue's powers among many other lives has struck us hard. We have to rise above these pains, however, if we are to be ready for the next battle."

"We X-Men have always stood guard against the threats of this world, both mutant and human, but I fear that what is coming in the near future will distort our world beyond recognition, and the worse is yet to come."

Charles sighed and pressed the stop button. "End Entry Fourteen."  
>-<p>

_The forest was dark, leaves covering the ground. Rogue made entirely too much noise as she ran from her attacker. A second arrow flew past the girl and she gasped, stumbling slightly, and fell face first into a tree-stump. She scrambled up, but tripped again, falling on her back and looking at the archer in black and red approaching her. Rogue, without her signature white stripes, wasn't done yet. She kicked at the archer's legs, giving her enough time to stand up. The archer already had her bow trained back on Rogue. The red-head eyed the lethal, pointy tip of the arrow._

"_Yield," the provocative voice ordered._

"_Make me," Rogue growled._

_The archer smirked beneath her mask and adjusted the arrow to remind Rogue of its proximity._

_Rogue smiled and ducked low, the archer re-aiming and firing. Rogue jumped into the air, grabbed a tree-branch, and kicked at the archer. The hooded female caught her leg, however, and jerked her down, tossing her to the ground. Rogue kicked her bow out of her hand and attempted to flee again. The female archer fell on top of Rogue, pinning her legs down. Rogue swatted with her fists. The archer held those down, too._

"_You refuse to yield."_

"_That ain't how I do things where I'm from." Rogue growled, still struggling fruitlessly._

"_You never heed my advice." _

"_I don't need yo're stupid advice." Rogue growled again. "I'm fine on m' own!"_

"_And yet," the archer stood up, releasing Rogue. "You fail every time we battle."_

_Rogue narrowed her eyes. The girl laughed, tugging off her hood and mask, revealing a soft face with a pointy chin and deep brown eyes. Her hair, too, was brown and done in curls except for three black, straight stripes on either side of her head._

"_It ain't funny."_

"_I have discovered the name by which I am going to call you."_

_Rogue raised an eyebrow. "Well don't keep me in suspense."_

"_Introductions. I am McKenna Pryde, of the rank Kyoshi. I hereby officially take you as my apprentice and name you _ye haizi_."_

"_Yay what?" Rogue asked._

_McKenna laughed. "_Ye Haizi_, it means "stubborn one"."_

_Rogue narrowed her eyes again, staring at McKenna. Slowly she smiled._

"_So what do I call you?" she asked._

"_That is something you will learn in time, _ye haizi_." McKenna replied, turning and walking off. "Return with me to the main fortress and drink."_  
>-<p>

Rogue descended the stairs of the Xavier Institute. She had tugged on a bathrobe and tied it tightly around her waist, covering as much of her body as she could. Ever since her loss of powers, Rogue had been more conservative in her dressing. She couldn't afford to drain someone. Rogue's slippers made soft noises on the stairs. She sighed and glanced at the clock on the oven in the kitchen as she entered. Four in the morning. It was like a routine now. So many nightmares, so many sleepless nights.

Rogue walked over to the refrigerator and opened it, pulling out a pint of milk and pouring some in a cup. She grabbed a packet of instant cocoa and mixed it up in the drink, sipping the chocolate cold. Rogue turned to sit down at the table when she spotted a flickering light in the next room. It was obviously the television, but who would be up at this time of the night (or morning depending on your point of view)? Rogue walked in the room and glanced at the television. The channel kept switching. A nature documentary, a cop show, shopping network, the channels flicked by in a matter of seconds. The channel stopped on _In the Heat of the Night_.

"That is your favorite show." A voice came from the couch.

"How'd ya know I was up?" Rogue asked, walking around front and sitting next to Laura.

"I heard your slippers on the stairway." Laura replies, perfect grammar as usual. She doesn't move her eyes from the television. Rogue notes they, too, have dark spots under them.

"M' slippers gave me away?" Rogue asked.

"No, your opening the milk and chocolate did."

Rogue nods and takes a sip of her drink.

"What are you doin' up?"

"I…" Laura seems hesitant, something Rogue has only seen once before: Laura's first undercover mission, back when they worked with the Sentinel Project and her name was X-23.* "I, too, could not sleep."

"Dreams?" Rogue asked.

_Now_ Laura looks at her. "How did you know this fact?"

"I guessed." Rogue admitted. "What are the dreams about?"

Laura hesitated. "What of your dreams?" she retorted.

"So stalemate it is, then." Rogue replied, turning to the television and watching as Sherriff Gillespie and Mr. Tibbs fought it out.

Laura flips the channels again as the show goes to commercial break. The next channel is a news one and Rogue lays a hand on Laura's sleeve, indicating she stop. Laura turns up the volume so they can hear it.

"…_six month anniversary of the Days of Future Past event. Yes, it's hard to believe, but six months ago mutants traveled _through time_ to save President Robert Kelly from assassination by mutant terrorist Erik Lenscherr, aka Magneto."_

"Once a terrorist, always a terrorist." Rogue muttered.

"_While the initial aftershock of the event shattered mutant-human relations and battles between mutants and Sentinels broke out all over the nation, a peace treaty was ratified by President Kelly and Charles Xavier of the Xavier Institute. This treaty brought fighting on a major scale to a halt as well as many anti-mutant legislation in Congress. America's move has inspired many countries around the world, although Russia, Iran, and North Korea are still proceeding with their Sentinel Programs despite global outrage."_

All of the Sentinels had been destroyed during that fateful night. Not a single one remained. As far as S.H.I.E.L.D. could tell, Laura had been successful at wiping the AI and blueprints from Trask Industries. Rumor had gone around that President Kelly had visited Trask Industries just two days before Larry Trask's tragic car crash that killed his entire family, but that was never proved.

"_Startling news broke earlier this week that Worthington Labs was developing a "cure to mutants". While Worthington Labs founder and CEO Warren Worthington II declined to comment, sources close to the Labs state that Worthington is mere weeks away from developing the cure. The Senate Mutant-Affairs committee is expected to call Mr. Worthington in front of them later this week to discuss breaches in the mutant-human peace treaty. S.H.I.E.L.D. will not be in attendance."_

"They're still cleanin' up their ranks." Rogue informed Laura. "So many damn HYDRA agents…"

"It is startling how deeply S.H.I.E.L.D. was infiltrated." Laura replied. "I am surprised the World Committee did not disband them."

"S.H.I.E.L.D. is too valuable." Rogue replied. "'sides, Alexander Pierce was HYDRA, so the Committee ain't got _rights_ to do any _disbandin'_."  
>-<p>

Amara crept down the stairs quietly, giggling, Kitty right behind her. The two girls crept across the living room to where Laura and Rogue were asleep, Laura's head resting gently on Rogue's shoulder. Amara giggled and moved Laura's hand into the open, spraying whipped cream onto it. The two girls giggled quietly as Laura shifted in her sleep. Kitty grinned and handed the feather duster to Amara. The two girls stood up and backed away behind the couch, standing behind it. Amara held the feather close to Laura's face and tickled it against her nose. Laura scrunched her nose and kept sleeping. Amara giggled and tickled Laura's nose again. Laura planted the whipped cream in her face. The moment it came in contact with her face, she sat straight up, looking around for an attacker. Kitty and Amara laughed outright and darted down the hall.

"Kitty! Amara!" Laura roared. She chased off after the girls who screamed hysterically.

All of the noise had awoken Rogue. The red-head checked her hands for whipped cream before rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She stood up and readjusted the bathrobe, brushing her red hair behind her shoulders, and walking into the kitchen.

Rogue had grown out her hair over the summer. It now hung down near her elbows, curling slightly at the ends. She had kept up the white streaks in her hair, using the special way in which McKenna had dyed it to dye it again. She still looked like the same old Rogue, except much more tired.

"Rogue!" Cassidy exclaimed. "Good morning!"

Rogue smiled and sat down, exhausted. Cassidy placed a plate of pancakes down in front of her and Rogue bit into them.

"Where are Kitty, Amara, and Laura? I could have sworn they were up."

"Oh… they're out getting' their mornin' exercise." Rogue replied deviously. Something shattered in the next room and Cassidy laughed.

Rogue smiled.

"Good morning, everyone." Erik greeted, walking into the kitchen. Ever since the Days of Future Past incident, Erik and the other mutants had returned with him to the Xavier Institute. Erik was currently working on setting up a mutant school in Genosha, a subsidiary of the Xavier Institute, but it was taking some time. Many of the older, and younger, students who had families and were mostly in their powers, had returned home for the first part of the school-year until the secondary academy opened. It was much easier to be a mutant now with the peace treaty in effect. Not everyone followed it, but most people had just been looking for a side to take.

"No muffins, Erik." Rogue stated through a mouth full of food. "I hate English food."

"You just have no taste." Erik replied, grabbing three muffins and putting them on his plate.

"Oh, I got taste," Rogue replied, pointing her fork at him. "Yo're the one who says everything funny and eats funny food…"

"Why thank you, Rogue, I speak funny too." Charles said, rolling into the room.

"Sorry, Prof." Rogue mumbled.

Charles smiled and gestured for Erik to grab him a muffin as well. "Rogue, the Principal at the local high-school wishes to speak with you…_again_."

"What'd Laura do this time?" Rogue asked.

"Her boyfriend claims she dislocated his shoulder when he tried to kiss her."

Laura walked in the room at this moment, breathing deeply with a big grin on her face.

"Is that true, X?" Rogue asked. She still referred to the clone in passing as "X".

"Is what true?"

"Did you dislocate ya boyfriend's shoulder when 'e tried t' kiss ya?"

"First, and foremost," Laura said, heaping scrambled eggs onto her plate. "He is _not_ my boyfriend. I do not have one. To answer your question, I did dislocate his shoulder. He was getting too…aggressive."

"Good girl." Rogue replied, taking a bite out of her pancakes.

"Rogue!" Charles exclaimed. "You can't condone that type of behavior!"

"Why the hell not?" Rogue demanded. "She's got t' learn t' stand up for herself!"

"What'd she do now?" Jubilee asked, walking into the kitchen with messy, spiky hair and a loose pair of pajamas on.

"Dislocated some guy's shoulder." Charles replied.

"Good girl." Jubilee grinned, rubbing Laura's hair. Laura laughed and leaned her head into it, growling like an animal. Jubilee burst out laughing.

"See?" Rogue asked, gesturing at Jubilee.

"Jubilee is not the best person to be taking advice from." Charles sighed. "Besides, you are her official guardian now, you have to act like one."

Rogue sighed and set her fork down, watching as Laura grabbed a glass of orange juice and sat down at the table.

"Laura, I do agree with Charles on this one."

"That is a surprise." Laura noted, taking a sip from her drink.

"Ya have t' be careful the way you react. Kissin' doesn't deserve a dislocated shoulder. Ask, try t' get away, then if he still ain't got the picture, kick 'is ass an' I'll be fine with it."

Laura sighed. "I still do not understand how all of the boys at school do not get the point that I am not interested in…"going out"."

"_Boobs_." Rogue responded. "Trumps _everything_ else."

Jubilee laughed and pointed her fork at Rogue with a mouth full of food. "She's got a point."

Rogue smiled.

"So, Jubes, where's Roberto?" Rogue asked. "All tuckered out from a night of…refreshing activity?"

"Don't be gross, Rogue." Cassidy said, sticking out her tongue. She was still too young to be appreciative of romance.

"I wish…" Jubilee muttered, casting a nasty glance at Rahne as the Scot entered the kitchen.

Rogue smirked, watching with interested eyes, leaning into her breakfast. She grabbed Laura's glass and took a deep drink out of it, setting it back down.

"Did you guys see the news report this morning?" Amara asked, changing the subject.

"Last night." Rogue corrected. "If any of y'all stayed up for the eleven news, you'd've seen it."

"I saw it." Erik started. "You know that President Kelly, who shouldn't even be in office, provided military funding to Worthington? No doubt trying to get that blasted cure of his off the ground."

"We have no proof, Erik." Charles said.

"Proof my ass. I ought to go up there and show them what they're trying to cure."

"Which would only encourage them." Charles pointed out.

"Please—" Rogue said. "I've got a headache, and we've already got enough to deal with. I have a feeling it's gonna be a long, chaotic next few months."  
>-<p>

-  
><strong>X-Men: Standing Guard<br>Season 2, Episode One  
>"In Need of an Angel"<br>**-

-  
><em>Local Highschool<br>October 5, 11:09 EST_  
>-<p>

"Ms. Marie, you signed up as Laura's official guardian, correct?"

"That's right."

"Well perhaps you can shed insight into what's going on in her mind. Has she had a history of abuse? Perhaps by a father figure?"

In her head, Rogue thought of Wolverine, but she pushed it out. That man was _not_ Laura's father.

"No, her father was never in the picture." Rogue replied.

The school therapist rested her chin on her hands and looked at the Belle.

The two were in the school therapist's office. It was late Thursday morning and Laura was in class with Amara. Amara had stared high-school that year and Rogue had placed Laura's age at that of Amara's. She knew the two were close friends, so she figured they could bond with classes together; that and Amara could help Laura fit in without raising _too_ many eyebrows.

Rogue was dressed in a nice, albeit seductively tight, white tank-top and knee-long shorts, again seductively tight. She had pulled her red hair back into a ponytail, the white stripes running straight down the middle. She was slouched in her chair and obviously found the meeting boring and useless.

The therapist had short hair, almost to her skull, and was wearing dark blue eyeshadow and lipstick. She was wearing a loose dark blue top. She seemed very much in control and Rogue hated not being able to get a read off of people's emotions, something she found increasingly creepy about therapists, psychiatrists, and the whole damn lot.

Her desk was a simple one, neatly organized like the rest of her office. Her computer homescreen was one of her entire family, husband and two daughters, in a park. She had several medals and diplomas hanging on her wall, her bookshelves were stocked, a stack of papers on her desk showed she actually worked, and the soothing lighting in the room seemed to radiate an air of calm that only agitated Rogue, making her almost itch.

The therapist sighed after studying Rogue for some time and sat up. "Ms. Marie, tell me, do you find these meetings interesting or concerning?"

"I find Laura's trend of beatin' up anyone who's got a pair to ask 'er out concernin', yeah." Rogue replied. "I spoke to her about it. She promised to do better."

"You said that the second to last time she was here." The therapist pointed out.

"And we went a whole two weeks without an incident." Rogue pointed out.

"Here's the simple facts:" the therapist said, pulling out a file and placing it in front of Rogue. The Belle didn't need to open it. She knew what was inside. She'd read it multiple times. "Laura claims the boys she assaults are…sexually aggressive towards her."

"Can ya blame 'em?" Rogue asked.

The therapist sighed and continued. "Because of this fact, the school can not suspend her. However, several of the boy's mothers are threatening to file a lawsuit against the school. We have to show Laura is turning a new leaf. Quickly."

"Well since you don't think my ways are workin', whadya suggest we do?" Rogue asked, folding her arms over her chest.

The therapist sighed again, picking up her pen and twirling it. She was getting agitated. Rogue raised an eyebrow, watching the pen.

"I believe that Laura has…problems she needs to work through."

"Wait," Rogue interrupted, sitting up straight and holding up her hands. "Are you sayin' Laura needs a _therapist_?"

"I believe your attendance would help."

Rogue just stared at her for a moment before falling back into her chair and heaving out a sigh so powerful it blew papers off of the therapist's desk.

"This is a load of bullshi—"

"Language, Ms. Marie."

Rogue tilted her head. "Whatcha gonna do? _Ground meh_?"

The therapist twirled the pen faster.

"Any problems Laura has, she's workin' through 'em. She's a unique girl with unique talents and a past that…well, it ain't quite normal." Rogue admitted. "It's just gonna take some time."

"Time that may pass faster if she meets with a professional."

Rogue rolled her eyes. "I ain't paying some moron with a piece of paper hundreds, thousands of dollars for Laura to lay on a couch and "talk about her feelin's." Hell, if ya knew Laura, you'd know that's the exact opposite of the person she is."

"A problem she needs to work past in a safe and secure environment."

Rogue pinched the bridge of her nose. "What's it gonna take this time?"

"Ms. Marie, I'm going to lay two options before you. You leave here with one of them." The therapist said, pushing the tip of her pin into the desk. "Option One: Both you and Laura seek therapy. If money is a concern, the school will pay for a percentage of it."

"Money ain't an issue." Rogue had practically unlimited funds from S.H.I.E.L.D. Plus she had her own…special ways of getting cash.

"Well, we may put that theory to the test. If you decline therapy, the school will sue you for damage. Since Laura is only fourteen, you will be handed the lawsuit."

Rogue sat and thought. She _could_ jab the pen in the woman's neck, but that'd lead to murder charges and that was a headache…She weighed her options for a moment.

"Can I find my own therapist?" she asked.

The school therapist seemed _very_ relieved, setting the pen down on the desk. "Yes, as long as you run them by me first and I can assure that they're a licensed professional."

"Alright, I'll send ya the therapist's number by Wednesday." Rogue stood up.

"Ms. Marie—" the therapist said.

Rogue took a deep breath, rolled her eyes, and turned around. She smiled in a "go on" way.

"Perhaps you can talk to Laura for more than several minutes tonight after school. See if she's being bullied? Maybe she's having bad dreams?"

_An arrow impaled itself a foot from Rogue's head, the shaft vibrating in the tree. Rogue was cornered, no where to go._

Rogue flinched slightly in the present day, blinking to shake it off. She smiled and nodded.  
>-<p>

-  
><em>Xavier Institute<br>October 5, 17:09 EST  
><em>-

A knock came on Laura's door.

"Come in!" Amara shouted.

Rogue opened the door and walked into the two-faced room. On one side was Laura's pristine, clean, and perfectly empty sleeping area. On the other side, Amara's bed was messy, her floor littered with junk, posters covered the wall, and a lava lamp (ironically) sat on her nightstand. Amara glanced up as Rogue entered.

"Oh, hi, Rogue!" she exclaimed.

"What are y'all doin'?" Rogue asked.

"Just homework." Amara replied. "Laura doesn't seem to grasp "why we need Algebra". Come to think of it, neither do I."

"Trust me, it's important." Rogue replied with a smile. "Amara, do you mind if I talk to Laura?"

The Nova Roman had dyed her hair over the summer. It was now blonde, long and straight. Her brown skin was starting to pale from Danger Room sessions. She'd been taking Laura to the city for "fashion sprees" and the clone as well as the fire-user had been increasingly "fashionable". Laura had attempted to get an orange highlight in her hair, but her body had rejected it.

"Yeah, no, sure. Go right ahead." Amara replied, turning back to her homework. She closed a few tabs on her laptop as Rogue approached.

"Alone, perhaps?" Rogue asked.

"Oh." Amara nodded. She locked her laptop. "Sure."

Amara left the room and Rogue pulled up her chair, turning it backwards and sitting in it. The Belle was wearing a green scoop-neck tee and skinny jeans. She had a bead necklace around her neck, her hair hanging loose behind her.

"What's she lookin' at?" Rogue asked.

"I promised her I would not give away that information." Laura replied, not removing her eyes from her homework.

"Fair 'nough." Rogue replied. She stared at the back of the clone's head for a minute before she started again. "Laura, the school said we either have therapy or they'll sue."

"Can you not simply bribe them again? Or whatever it is you did to cause these problems to go away before?"

"It ain't that simply. They've reached the breakin' point." Rogue replied. She looked at Laura. "'sides," she added, looking down. "Schoo's right. We need to talk."

"There is nothing to talk about." Laura replied, scribbling something on her paper.

"Laura," Rogue said gently. "Look at me."

Laura straightened up, placed down the pencil, and turned around to face Rogue.

"You still ain't sleepin'." Rogue sighed.

"It is merely a "phase"." Laura replied. "It will pass."

"Is it dreams?" Rogue asked.

Laura remained silent.

Rogue nodded once. "What're they about?"

Laura turned back around. "You first."

"What is yo'r problem?" Rogue demanded, grabbing the clone's arm with her gloved hand and twisting her back to face the Belle. "We haven't spoken since you started school! Is somethin' goin' on?"

"No." Laura replied.

"Laura…"

"Nothing is going on at school."

"Well then what the hell is it?" Rogue demanded.

Laura looked at her feet and sighed. "I do not need to talk, this is something I must take care of on my own." She looked up at Rogue. "I believe you of all people understand that?"

Rogue bit her lip and nodded. "But if anything, and I mean _anything_, bothers you or you want to talk, you drop by anytime."

Laura nodded.  
>-<p>

"_We're continuing coverage of the rumor that Worthington Labs is currently developing a cure to the mutant X-gene. To discuss this in full and see if it's even possible, we've brought in mutant scientist, as well as former President of the United States and current head of the Mutant-Human relations department Hank McCoy. Mr. McCoy, nice to have you on the show."_

"_Thank you,"_

"_Mr. McCoy, before we begin discussing ramifications and legal issues of this "cure", is it even possible to develop such a drug? How would that work? Or is this all a publicity stunt?"_

"_Well, mutants derive their powers from the X-gene. So far, it is impossible to "cure" genes that carry diseases, not that mutations are a disease, so no, it is not possible to "cure" mutants. If it was, Mr. Worthington could apply the same technique to cancer, AIDS, and theoretically every disease that has ever plagued man-kind."_

"_So it's all a publicity stunt?"_

"_I'm not going to say that," Hank smiled. "But it is not possible to cure mutants. Mutants don't need to be cured, however. They are just as "normal" as normal people. Trying to state that mutants are not normal is like stating that someone isn't normal because of their skin color or hair color."_

"_Thank you, Mr. McCoy."_

"This is a load of bullshit." Erik said, practically slamming his mug down on the table.

"At least Hank disproved Worthington's ruse about being able to "cure" mutants." Charles said.

Erik looked at Charles.

"What?"

"What if it is possible?" Erik asked. "What if Worthington has found a way…even theoretically? Charles, he could be arming Kelly's men with this—this _cure_ right now."

"Erik, not everyone is sinister***. If Worthington had this cure, if it even exists, he would have made an official announcement and not hidden it away."

"Unless he's working with Kelly."

"Oh!" Charles exclaimed.

"Come on, Charles! Kelly has provided _military funding_ to Worthington Labs, _after_ the peace treaty was signed! He and Worthington's family are old friends. It would only make sense they were in bed together."

Charles sighed. "Well then what? Should we arrange a meeting with Worthington?"

"No, he'll refuse us or try and spin some bullshit web. We need to act."

"Erik," Charles said. "Listen to me very carefully. Acting against Worthington and Kelly will not protect mutants. It will only endanger them. Kelly will cite you breaking the peace treaty, the Sentinels will return, and this time we won't be able to travel back and fix it. We were given a second chance to bring peace between our species, a chance that came at great sacrifice. Let us honor that sacrifice."

"Kelly already broke the treaty." Erik growled.

"You have no proof."

"I don't need proof."

"To stand before the world and announce mutant subjugation, yes, you need proof. People won't take you at your word, especially not anymore. They're not too happy that a man who killed dozens of people is free to roam." Charles set his cup on the table and looked at Erik. "Neither am I."

"Oh, come on, Charles!" Erik exclaimed. "I can't believe you're taking _their_ side! I'm your friend!"

"The man I knew and loved would never have killed innocent people."

"They were far from innocent." Erik growled lowly.

"Erik!"

The Master of Magnetism stood up and headed for the kitchen door.

"Erik! Your own daughter sacrificed herself to give us a second chance! God only knows what happened to her _children_, and Kurt…"

"I know very well our losses, Charles."

"There's something I haven't told you." Charles said. "I pulled it from Kitty's mind during one of her sessions."

Erik turned and folded his arms. "What?"

Charles ran his finger over the handle on his coffee mug. "After the initial Sentinel attack, Wanda and Lorna met in the tunnels beneath Genosha. Wanda gave her word that if the Sentinel threat was ever ended and mutants given another chance, that she would strive to create peace, equality, and tranquility between our two races. She swore to do it without the need of force. She thought she knew what it felt like to be hunted before, and thus felt justified in joining your genocidal crusade. She learned better the hard way. They _all_ did."

Erik looked at him in disgust. "I can't believe you would try and use my own _children_ against me! You have your dream, that is fine, Charles, but I can't believe you would have me believe that my Wanda, my sweet, ill-tempered Wanda, would have fallen for your unachievable dream."

"Erik, I'm not—"

"Save it, Charles." Erik continued for the kitchen door.

"Erik, if you walk out that front door right now," Charles took a deep, shaky breath. "You will _never_ come back inside."

Erik stared at him, then exited the door. Charles sighed, sat down, and threw Erik's glass against the wall, shattering it.  
>-<p>

-  
><em>Worthington Labs<br>October 6, 09:09 EST  
><em>-

Worthington Labs was situated in downtown New York City. It was a large skyscraper, made of tan steel and large pieces of glass. The lobby was made of the same tan and red bricks. There was a large, rotating glass door at the entrance and metal detectors after that. The front desk was occupied by a clerk and two armed guards. Elevators stood behind them. There was a waiting room on either side, both full of people waiting to talk to Worthington about his cure. Many were nationals, many were domestic.

The man who walked through the front door was wearing a black trench-coat and hat pulled low over his wrinkled face. He bypassed the metal detectors without a problem. He approached the clerk's desk. Pens and paperclips began to vibrate. She glanced at them as they rattled more and more the closer Erik got.

"Mutant!" she whispered.

The two guards moved to step in front of Erik, but he used the metal weapons on their belts to toss them aside. He shoved the clerk's desk across the room, she stood up and squealed. Erik wrenched open the doors to the elevator and dropped the elevator itself to the basement, levitating himself up the elevator shaft.

The clerk picked up the phone and dialed four numbers.

"Get me S.H.I.E.L.D.! There's a mutant at Worthington Labs and he's heading towards the upper levels!"  
>-<p>

"Worthington! If this cure is real, I'm pulling my investments from the company!"

"Hell! I'll give you every cent I got!"

"McCoy said it is not even possible!" A Frenchman exclaimed. "How can you prove zis?"

Worthington held up his arms and gestured for everyone to be quiet.

"What leaves my mouth does not leave this room, is that understood?" Worthington asked, standing up. "If it does, I'll sue each and every one of you until I find out who spoke and then you'll wish you'd never been born. Are we clear?"

Everyone nodded.

"Dad…?" Warren asked from behind his father.

The younger Worthington, Warren Worthington III, was in his early twenties. He was standing in a corner of the boardroom, his short blonde hair askew and his blue eyes bored. He fiddled with his phone and the large overcoat on his back. He kept scratching between his shoulder blades. His father had insisted he attend this board meeting to "learn the ropes". Warren had obliged. Now he was concerned about what his father was about to say. There was dead silence in the board room. It was so quiet, everyone could hear the secretary and her friend chatting two rooms away, a sound almost silenced by the sheer volume of the water fountain.

"We are working on a cure."

Pandemonium broke out.

"Word wasn't supposed to get out yet! It was supposed to remain a secret until we were ready! We're weeks away from testing!"

"How did you acquire the funding?"

"President Kelly gave us military funding to research a non-lethal way to take down mutants, but I saw it as an opportunity to help the mutants! They don't realize that they're infected, much like the psychiatric patient who doesn't realize that they're mentally ill."

"That is a load of bullshit!" Warren exclaimed, stepping up next to his father. "Mutants aren't infected people! They're just people!"

"Warren! Hush!"

Arguments continued to rage in the boardroom until something smashed in the next room. The secretary screamed and her desk crashed through the wall. A man in a trench-coat entered the room behind, levitating off of the ground.

"A mutant!" Someone exclaimed.

Warren ran forward to attack the intruder, but Erik shoved him to the side with one hand, slamming his back against the wall. Warren cried out in pain.

"What the hell is this?" Worthington demanded, slamming his fist on the table.

Erik took off his hat and smiled at the (other) old man.

"Magneto!"

Erik smiled again. "Did you really think you could take down mutants without a fight, Mr. Worthington?"

"I don't know what you think, but there's no proof that we're working on a cure. Why don't you go home?" Worthington demanded.

Warren had stood back up, rubbing that spot between his back, still wincing.

"I don't need proof, Mr. Worthington." Erik said. "Six months ago, my race was almost wiped out by Sentinels. I will not let that happen again."

"Screw you!" One man shouted. "What right do you have, barging in here? What do you even want?"

"To send a message." Erik replied.

"Oh, you're sending a message alright!" The man shouted. "Mutants can't be trusted!"

"How would you feel if they were trying to turn you into them?" the Frenchman demanded. He turned to Magneto. "No offense."

"None taken." Erik smiled. "If only more thought like you, Mr….?"

"Mr. Falk." The Frenchman said. "Granted, I don't support your barging in here military-like."

"Well, Mr. Falk. I'll give you the opportunity to leave. I thank you for your support."

"Why would I leave?" Falk demanded.

A buzzing came from outside. A S.H.I.E.L.D. Hellier Jet descended in front of the Worthington Labs boardroom.

"Erik Lenscherr!" the PA system screamed. "Put your hands in the air or we will open fire!"

"Five seconds, Mr. Falk."

Falk decided he preferred to live, and darted from the room. Erik raised his hands in the air.

"Stand by, we're sending agents to arrest you. Our threat remains."

Magneto grinned and flicked his hand. The jet tilted and groaned towards the building. The board members backed up against the wall.

"Magneto! Stop!" Warren shouted.

The jet didn't open fire because at its current angle, its bullets would hit three stories down.

Erik beckoned with his wrist and the jet crashed into the building, spraying glass and steel at the board members. They darted for the door. Worthington tripped and looked up at the spinning blades of the jet, heading straight for him. Warren dropped his coat off of his shoulders, grabbed his father, and jumped out of the window, flexing his wings and flying off into the distance.

S.H.I.E.L.D. agents reached the floor a minute later to find Magneto gone.  
>-<p>

S.H.I.E.L.D. teams were already positioned to block any one from entering the street where Worthington Labs stood. S.H.I.E.L.D. vans blocking the entrances. Crowds were gathering at the end of the streets and at the windows of the shops they were locked in, craning to get a view of the Hellier Jet impaled in the glass and steel building.

Three people pushed through a side entrance and headed towards the figure in a trench-coat staring up at the jet.

"Director Fury," Charles greeted.

"Charles," Fury replied, not moving his eye from the Hellier Jet. "I thought you said you had your boy on a leash."

Charles sighed. "I'm afraid this time I could not convince Erik to stop."

"This is the sixth time in as many months that he's gone on a rampage like this. This time, he killed three people. President Kelly just reactivated the Sentinel Program."

"What?" Kitty demanded from behind Xavier. "We didn't do anything!"

"Erik did." Fury pointed out. "He is a member of the X-Men, the official peace-keepers between humanity and mutant-kind, which means that you broke the treaty."

"That's bullshit!" Lorna exclaimed. "He broke it first! He was providing _military funding_ to Worthington to research his cure!"

"That being true, we have no proof and can get none. Those conversations were never recorded." Fury said.

"Welcome back, Nixon." Lorna muttered.

"As part of the international treaty, the rest of the nations that signed it still have to respect mutant kind. As part of International Law, I can order Kelly to hand over anything about the Sentinels or this cure to S.H.I.E.L.D."

"The cure doesn't exist." Kitty said. "Hank said it's impossible."

"Three years ago, most of the people here would have said it was impossible for a boy to shoot lasers from his eyes, a man to read minds…" Fury glanced back at the jet. "Or one to move a plane with a flick of his wrist."

"What are you saying, Director Fury?" Charles asked, concerned, leaning forward in his chair.

"The cure exists." Fury said. "Or at least, it almost does."

This shocked the mutants.

"Well, take it away!" Lorna demanded.

"We can't. Once again, we don't have proof and we can't just barge in and steal it. Besides…" Fury glanced back up at the jet, currently being disassembled and pulled piece-by-piece out of the building. "It could be useful to let them finish it."

"What?"

"This is a huge breakthrough. Worthington's going to put a monopoly on the cure and it'll be years before anyone else develops it. We limit the origin of the cure, we limit its exposure. Once it's finished, we'll take the cure and make a…" Fury smiled. "A cure."

"Besides," he added, watching as the wing was carefully lowered to the ground. "Imagine the military uses. People like Erik could be de-powered."

Charles stared at Fury. "Director!"

"No, he does have a point." Lorna interrupted. "_Dear old dad_ seems to have anger management issues. De-powering him would be extremely beneficial to _both_ sides."

"You would crush him!" Charles exclaimed.

"Listen to your girl, Charles. She has a point."

Charles sighed and sat back.

"I'll call Kelly." Fury said. He started to walk off, phone in hand, but turned and smiled. "By the way, smart thinking putting your new student on Worthington."

"New student?" Charles asked.

"Yeah, the boy with the wings."

The three mutants glanced at each other.

"Oh," Fury said. "Well I assumed he was your student."

"Where is he?" Charles asked.

"Don't know. We're trying to find him, but we don't even have facial ID to run. We're working on it. Maybe you could give it a shot."

"Yes, let's find this boy before his image gets plastered all over the news." Charles agreed.

Fury laughed and walked off.

"It might be a little late for that, Professor." Kitty said, gesturing at the news van replaying a clip of Warren's rescue of his father.

"_This angelic figure saved Warren Worthington II from his boardroom after mutant terrorist Magneto, otherwise known as Erik Lenscherr, pulled a S.H.I.E.L.D. Hellier Jet into Worthington Labs this morning. No news on where this mutant has gone…"_  
>-<p>

-  
><em>Worthington Estate<br>Outside New York City  
>October 6, 9:14 EST<br>_-

"…_nor where he has taken Mr. Worthington."_

Warren blew open the large French doors to his father's study and set him down gently, folding his wings up behind him. His father stumbled away and stared at his son in amazement.

"W-Warren?" he asked.

Warren spread his arms and wings wide, showing them off to his father.

"You-you're a mutant?"

"Yeah, I am." Warren replied angrily. "And I'm not too happy about you trying to _cure_ me."

"Warren, you're sick." His father tried to say calmly.

"Sick?" Warren laughed. "I'm not sick! I feel better than I ever have! Dad, _I can fly_! How many people have wanted to fly? And I actually get to!"

"We have airplanes for that." His father said dryly.

Warren rolled his eyes. "No, I mean really fly! Be able to feel the wind in your face, the clouds on your skin…" he sighed. "It's beautiful dad, and I wish you could experience it."

"Don't be ridiculous!" Worthington snapped. "Son, this mutation is bad for your health. Now when have I ever lied to you for a reason other than your own protection?"

Warren stared at him. "Do you _really_ want me to answer that?"

Worthington sighed. "Son, promise me you will stay here until the cure is done."

"No."

"You have to!"

"Like hell I do!"

"Son, listen to your father!"

"No!"

Both men were red in the face with anger right now. This was as close as they had come in some time to a true conversation. Neither wanted to do what the other said. They were both hell-bent on their own way.

"Listen, President Kelly has reactivated the Sentinel Project. You're going to be in danger out there."

"How the hell do you know that?" Warren demanded.

"Because it was our plan."

Warren stared at his father with a questioning rage. Suddenly, everything came together.

"You leaked news of the cure to agitate Magneto." Warren breathed. "You knew he would come after you, breaking the treaty and allowing Kelly to reactivate the Sentinels."

"And it worked." Worthington replied. "A small sacrifice for a much greater cause."

"A small sacrifice?" Warren demanded. "He pulled a _fucking jet_ into your office! Have you lost your _damn mind_? I'm not going to let you do this! You are not going to hurt us!"

"Us?" Worthington asked.

Warren swallowed hard, standing up straight.

"Who are you talking about, son?"

"That's none of your damn business!" Warren hissed.

"Who're you dating now? Aly, Alexa, something with an "A"…"

"You come near me or Alison." Warren growled. "and you'll wish I'd let you fall out of that window."

Worthington nodded slowly and pulled out his cellphone.

"What are you doing?" Warren demanded.

"Calling Nick Fury." His father returned.

"S.H.I.E.L.D.?!" Warren demanded.

"Yes, I'm going to inform them about you and your girlfriend. See if we can't get you detained for your own safety until the cure is done."

"You tell them about Alison's identity, and I'll go public." Warren warned. "It wouldn't look too good for the man who's developing a cure to mutants to have a mutant for a son, now would it?"

Worthington looked at Warren carefully, studying.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. Offices." The voice came over the line.

"Get me Director Fury. This is Warren Worthington II. I have news about the mutant who saved my life earlier and his gir—" Worthington glanced at Warren and sighed. "And his identity."

Warren scowled, shook his head, and flew out of the window back towards the city.

"I'm sorry, sir." The voice came back. "Director Fury is unavailable. Shall I take a message?"

"No," Worthington responded, watching his son fly off. "I'll wait."  
>-<p>

-  
><em>Xavier Institute<br>October 6, 10:09 EST  
><em>-

Cerebro was humming loudly, its computer systems searching every face on the planet to find Warren Worthington. So far, the super-computer had had no luck. Wherever Worthington was, it wasn't somewhere with a camera. Charles sighed and put his head in his hands. "I suppose it's just a matter of time…"

"What's up?" Amara asked, walking down the long, narrow bridge of Cerebro, munching on a granola bar.

"We're trying to find Mr. Worthington."

"The dick wad who's trying to "cure" mutants?" Amara asked. "Yeah, lemme know when you find him. I'd like to show him a "cure" alright…"

"Amara, Erik already tried that tactic this morning. Worthington is still missing."

"Well did you try and find his son, Warren _numero_ three?"

"Yes, but he, too, is missing." Charles replied.

"Well what about Dazzler?"

"Who?" Charles asked.

"Mutant singer we tried to recruit back in March. Name's Alison Blair."

"Well why would we ask her where Warren is?" Storm asked.

"Uhh…'cause she's dating him? Duh!" Amara stated it like it was a well-known fact. Storm glanced at Charles cluelessly. Amara sighed. "Does anyone watch TMZ?"  
>-<p>

-  
><em>Gardendale Restaurant<br>New York City  
>October 6, 11:34 EST<br>_-

It was lunchtime in downtown New York City. Even at such an upscale restaurant as this one, it was crowded. The rich, dark red carpet on the floor was illuminated by sunlight streaming in through the tall windows. Shadows of tables and people flickered across the floor. Each table was surrounded on three sides by a booth. The tables were made of dark cherry wood and the frames of the booths were made of the same wood; the plush cushions were covered in a soft, lighter red cloth with gold _fleur d' leurs _spotted along the fabric.

Alison Blair was in a booth near the door. She was dressed in loose apparel. She wore long pants despite the heat of the day, and a sleeveless white top, with a very low and sharp "V". She had some golden bracelets on her arms and large golden earrings hanging from each ear. She wore bright blue eye-shadow that heightened the blue in her eyes. Her long blonde hair hung down around her shoulders in curls. She was sitting patiently at her booth, waiting. She sighed.

A girl noticed her and walked over. The girl was probably in her early years of high-school. She had long, straight blonde hair and soft, brown eyes. She was wearing dark red skinny jeans and a black, magma-themed tee underneath a motorcycle jacket matching the color of her pants. Behind her was a bald man in a wheelchair. He was wearing dark pants, a green sweater, and a tan sports jacket. Alison thought the girl looked familiar, but couldn't place her.

The girl walked over to her booth.

"Hi!"

"Sorry," Alison smiled. "I'm not signing autographs."

This wasn't what the girl was expecting. This was curious.

"Oh, no," the girl replied. "I don't want an autograph…at least not right now. Do you not remember me?"

"No," Alison replied. Rule number one: never encourage fans.

"I came to you back in March to talk to you about the—" the girl looked around and leaned in, whispering. "The Xavier Institute."

Alison's eyes widened. _Now_ she recognized the girl!

"Oh! Yeah! What was your name again…um…Kitty?"

The girl looked slightly upset. "Amara." She smiled. "But it's not big deal. I mean, it's just a name, right?" she laughed nervously.

"So why are you here?" Alison asked. "Not trying to recruit me again? I'm simply not ready—"

"Oh, no no no." Amara replied. "We were actually hoping you could help us find your boyfriend…Warren?"

Alison blinked. "Oh, are you looking to recruit him, too? I can save you the time and tell you he isn't interested."

"No, we—"

"Excuse me," the bald man interrupted. "My name is Professor Charles Xavier—"

"Head of the Institute, I assume?"

"Yes, what did you mean by…recruit Warren?"

"Well that's why you're here, isn't it? Because he's…you know…"

Charles glanced at Amara.

"You didn't know." Alison whispered, leaning back. "Crap. Promise you won't tell him I told you."

Before either could inquire what she meant, Warren walked in the front door of the restaurant, slightly out of breath and his coat rustled. He spotted Alison and walked over.

"Hey," he gasped out, giving her a peck on the cheek. "Come on, babe, we gotta go."

"What?" Alison asked, standing up and placing his hands in hers. "What's going on, Warren?"

Warren glanced at Charles and Amara. "Who are they?"

"They're here for you." Alison replied.

"Are they S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Warren asked, alarmed.

"What? No!" Alison replied.

"Mr. Worthington, I think you will wish to take this conversation to a more…_private_ area."

Warren looked at them suspiciously, then at Alison, who gave him a reassuring squeeze of her hands, and nodded. "Alright…" he said warily.  
>-<p>

Warren leaned against the wall. "Alright, who are you?"

"Warren!" Alison chastised.

"I'm not in the mood for any of my father's surprises or speeches, so if that's why you're here…"

"No offense," Amara said. "But do we _look_ like people your father would hire? A teen and an old man in a wheelchair?"

"Eh,"

"We're from the Xavier Insitute, Mr. Worthington—" Charles started, but Warren cut him off.

"You call me Warren. Mr. Worthington is my father."

"Very well, Warren, as I said, my name is Professor Charles Xavier. I'm from the Xavier Institute. It's a school…for mutants."

Warren stood up and let his arms hang loose. "How did you know I'm a mutant?"

Charles glanced at Alison out of the corner of his eye. "I have a machine, Cerebro, that detects mutants around the world so that we can track them down and help them."

"Help?" Warren asked. "How?"

"By offering you a chance to come to the Institute." Charles replied. "It's a safe facility in Weschester, New York. It's completely secluded from the world and mutant-exclusive. For those who are of a younger age here, such as Ms. Aquilla," Amara waved. "It functions as a school. For people more of the age of you and your girlfriend, it acts as a home and hideaway, to keep you safe from the world."

"They offered me to go back in March, before we met." Alison said, hooking her arm into Warren's and looking at him. "I didn't go, but maybe you should consider?"

"All I ask, Warren, is a simple tour of our facilities if you're interested. If you don't want to join, that is fine. If you ever change your mind, our doors are always open."

Warren glanced at Alison, who smiled.

'_God,'_ Amara thought. _'She's laying on the charm _thick!_'_

Warren sighed. "Alright. Just a tour. And if you _are _S.H.I.E.L.D…."

"Don't worry, Warren, you can trust us." Charles replied.  
>-<p>

-  
><em>Xavier Institute<br>October 7, 10:40 EST  
><em>-

"These are our lower levels," Xavier said, rolling down the clean, metal hallways. Blue lights reflected off of the baby-blue seamless steel. Xavier, accompanied by Amara, was leading both Alison and Warren on a tour of the Xavier Institutes. The tour of the outside and inside had been rather brief. Most of the Xavier Institute's property (some dozen acres or so), was open fields with benches, trees, a pond here and there, and other aesthetic items. The backyard contained the basketball court, tennis court, swimming pool, and graveyard. Xavier had failed to show the last area off during his tour.

The inside of the Institute, a four-story brick building, was very plain. The top three stories were rooms, mostly vacant now (many of the mutants who had sided with Magneto over a year ago had felt too ashamed to return to the Institute), and Xavier wasn't about to go invade the privacy of his students. The ground floor of the Institute was like any home: living room, dining room (which was unused), kitchen, a few bedrooms that had been converted to offices for Xavier and the other teachers, and several other miscellaneous rooms.

The lower levels were where the real action took place.

"This is the Danger Room," Charles said, wheeling into the observatory. Wolverine nodded at his arrival and continued shouting orders through the intercom. Several of the younger students, Rahne, Jubilee, Laura, and Pixie were in the Danger Room performing an exercise. Warren looked impressed with the technology and set-up.

"What happens if someone gets hurt?" Alison asked, concerned.

Charles smiled. "The most anyone ever gets hurt in the Danger Room is a slight stun, nothing more than a taser shock, but the infirmary is right down the hall. Come, follow me."

"Chuck," Logan said gruffly. "If you see Drake in there admiring his wimpy physique, trying to see if he's got abs, you tell him I'm lookin' for 'im. This is the third session he's missed."

"Of course, Logan." Charles replied.

The four left the Danger room and wheeled down the hall a few yards to a glass wall and doors. Inside was the infirmary. Top of the line equipment and machines cluttered the floor, cabinets of medicine and tools on the wall. Bobby was inside, a finger on his chest, examining himself in the mirror. Charles sighed and pushed open the door.

"Bobby,"

The blonde jumped and almost turned around, but quickly adjusted himself, trying desperately to keep the front of his torso hidden from the intruders. Amara attempted to glance at his chest, just to annoy him, but he managed to keep it obscured from her vision while he slid his shirt back on. He turned and ran a nervous hand through his hair.

"Yes, Professor?" He asked breathlessly.

"Logan's looking for you." Charles said.

"Yeah, he's gonna give you hell!" Amara exclaimed.

Bobby glared at her and slid past, darting for the Danger Room.

"Recent break-up?" Alison asked, a look of amusement on her face.

"Too bad it wasn't sooner." Amara scowled.

Alison laughed, freely and joyfully, something she hadn't done in a long time. Amara didn't seem to be taking much pleasure from it, but Alison didn't seem to care much at the moment.

"As you can see, we have top of the line equipment and multiple students who are very well exercised in medicine. You are in good hands here." Charles said. He took them through several machines. Amara stopped at the CAT scan. Bobby had wiped the results, but it was still on. What was he up to?

The four exited the infirmary. Charles showcased the Dark Room where the communications equipment was stashed, the hangar where the Blackbird and X-Chopper as well as a S.H.I.E.L.D. Hellier Jet sat silently, powerfully.

"And finally, the pride and joy of the Institute—" Charles leaned down and allowed the door to scan his eye.

"_Welcome Professor X_."

"Professor X?" Amara asked. "Rahne and Roberto have been messing around with the system again…"

"No worry," Charles replied with a humorous smile as the door opened. "I rather enjoy the nickname."

The four mutants walked inside. Warren and Alison were in awe. They were standing inside a large, silver sphere. It was massive, probably fifty yards across. A small bridge, which they were currently standing on, led to the dead center of the sphere.

"Welcome to Cerebro." Charles said.

"Amazing." Warren breathed out.

"What's it used for?" Alison asked, still staring around at the metal walls.

"Cerebro can detect new mutant outbreaks, or "breakouts" as we call them, anywhere in the world." He turned. "That's how we found the two of you."

"But my mutation developed years ago!" Warren said. "Why didn't your Cerebro detect me then?"

"Cerebro wasn't completed until a year ago." Charles said. "Besides, it prioritizes mutants by the level of danger they are in, among other factors, so you weren't detected until yesterday."

Warren nodded.

"So you need all of this to find mutants?" Alison asked.

"Oh, it does much more than that, my dear." Charles said. "Cerebro extends my powers around the world and allows me to read minds, depending on how strong the psychic barriers are, freeze bodies, and locate almost anyone on the planet."

"It sounds like there's variables in there. A lot of them." Warren said.

"You can hide from it," Charles admitted. "But it takes some doing."

He smiled and turned to the couple. "So? Do you need time to think it over?"

Warren looked at Alison. "I'm willing to join—part-time only though."

"Part-time?" Amara asked.

"If you need me, I can be there to help, but because of my last name—I need to keep out of the limelight."

Charles nodded. "I can arrange for a body-suit to be made for you, and a mask if you want."

Warren nodded. He turned to his girlfriend. "What about you, Alison?"

Alison frowned. "Sorry, Professor," she said. "I'm afraid I have to decline your offer again. If I join the X-Men, my mutation will go public and I'm just not ready for that."

Charles nodded. "Perfectly fine, my dear. As always, our doors are open."  
>-<p>

-  
><em>Worthington Estate<br>October 7, 11:33 EST  
><em>-

Warren tucked his wings in and landed on the balcony of his father's office. He grabbed a trench-coat from the closet and tossed it over his shoulders, keeping his wings hidden. His father's office was empty, a strange sight for this time of day. He glanced around and picked up his father's schedule book. Nothing interesting. The volumes lining the bookshelves behind his father's cherry wood desk were real, first editions that cost millions. They were covered in dust. As a young boy, Warren had attempted to read them, but his father dissuaded him citing that Warren was too young to understand them.

His father's computer was locked, no getting anything off of that. A dozen files and papers were scattered semi-messily around his desk. Warren shuffled through them, but didn't see anything important. The drawers were locked as was the filing cabinet. Warren sighed and walked out of his father's office, heading down the hall to the terrace. A maid passed him quickly, almost upset. Warren frowned. His father had a bad temper with the staff. Some claimed Worthington was a "Southern plantation owner, and the staff were his—"

Warren heard voices coming off of the terrace and headed towards the doors, stopping short of passing through them. The night was dark and cool. There were soft lights on the terrace, shining on the light grey stone floor. A steel and glass table was arranged in the middle of the outside area and two men were sitting there. The French doors were open and Warren peeked through the thin curtains over them, blowing gently in the wind.

President Kelly and Warren Worthington II were sitting on the terrace. As Warren listened, he became enraged. His father was acting as if nothing had changed, as if he couldn't be prouder to be developing this cure. Warren had half a mind to tear off his trench-coat and tell his father _exactly_ what he thought of him…and the President too!

The only thing that prevented Warren from making his grand debut as a mutant was the maid rushing past him again with a tray of snacks. Warren scowled, turned the collar on his jacket up, and headed back towards his room.  
>-<p>

-  
><em>Island of Genosha<br>October 7, 20:09 EST  
><em>-

The windows on another research lab exploded outward. Pyro cackled next to Magneto. He turned to the scientists who had escaped the building.

"Look at 'em! Running around like 'ickens w't their heads cut 'ff!"

Pyro threw flames at the men and cackled some more as they burned alive.

"Fried chicken!" he yelled, laughing some more.

Police vehicles screeched around the corner and slid to a stop, forming a defensive wall. The police officers jumped out of the vans and cars, lining up behind them and opening fire on the mutants. Magneto would have none of his brethren fall, however, and raised a magnetic shield to stop the bullets.

"Foolish humans, hiding behind vehicles made of metal to battle the Master of Magnetism?" Magneto turned the bullets back and released them, letting them hit the officers, killing or maiming them. One bullet hit a gas tank on the vans and they exploded in a chain of detonations that left searing heat to be felt by all.

"The island will be ours by morning, brothers and sisters!" Magneto exclaimed, raising his hand. The mutants yelled and charged forward, killing all who got in their way.  
>-<p>

-  
><em>Xavier Institute<br>October 7, 21:09 EST  
><em>-

Rogue had turned the lights out in her room. Nine o'clock and already she was getting ready for bed. She had taken a bath and watched an episode of TV, but she was still depressed. These spells came over her, frequently, and for undeterminable amounts of time. She was depressed at her loss of powers. She had sent Gambit away, told him that she couldn't be with him and they shouldn't try. Gambit had protested, naturally, but Rogue had sent him away. The summer had been miserable. Instead of teasing guys and having fun with the girls, Rogue had been forced to hide away inside. Her red-hair made her naturally pale, but now she felt she looked like a vampire.

School had started and Rogue had to be careful to wear gloves and full body clothes to the school to prevent knocking out one of the children or teachers. The mutants who attended school had kept their abilities and lives as X-Men a secret, blending in seamlessly. Rogue didn't want to ruin that.

Her ability to absorb memories and abilities had become a pain in the ass. Every time she brushed up against someone, she got the memories they were thinking of that moment, and others in spare. Charles was using his mental abilities to keep her from losing herself, but the memories kept popping back up and it was getting harder and harder to remember who she was, and what memories belonged to her.

Rogue reached under her desk and pulled out a bottle of brown liquid. She popped the top and reached for a shot-glass, but decided against it and touched the bottle to her lips.

"Well I was going to ask you to share…" a voice came.

Rogue glanced over at the window. McKenna was standing there, and not in her assassin's outfit. The brunette was wearing tight jeans, an orange tank-top, and a black leather jacket. The various tattoos of the Hand decorated her arms, the red, black, and purple ink flashing in the varying light.

"Here," Rogue replied, pulling the shot-glass back out and pouring a _very_ generous amount of liquid into it.

"I'm in New York on a mission. Ian Quinn's borrowed too much money, I'm here to _persuade him_ to give it back in full with interest."

Rogue stared at her. "What the hell are you? A fuckin' cop? Sit that fine ass down an' drink. I don't give a _damn_ if yo're on duty."

McKenna smirked and picked up the glass, swallowing it all in one gulp. Rogue raised an eyebrow and drank some more out of the bottle.

"I hope this is just pleasure drinking." McKenna said.

"Oh don't you start yo'r damn psychology bullshit now." Rogue warned.

"Rogue…" McKenna warned.

"Nope, la la la la la, ain't listenin'!" Rogue took another swig from the jar. McKenna snatched it from her hand. Rogue stood up and knocked her chair to the ground.

"Give it!"

"Not until you listen." McKenna said firmly.

Rogue scrunched up her face in a sour expression and sighed.

"You need to clear your mind." McKenna said. "I understand your loss of powers…troubles you, but with _it_ coming up, you can not be distracted. A distracted mind is useless to the mission."

Rogue sighed. "Clear m' mind?" she asked. "I can't figure out what _is_ m' mind and what's in everyone else's!"

McKenna set the bottle down behind her and Rogue eyed it warily. McKenna extended her hands and placed them on Rogue's knees. "Do you remember the first time I taught you to clear your mind?" she asked.  
>-<em><br>__**Six Years Ago**_  
>-<p>

Rogue practically slammed the door in McKenna's face. The brunette caught it firmly with her palm and shoved it open, following the fuming red-head into the hotel room.

"You were supposed to take the shot!" McKenna exclaimed.

"What? With his kid standin' right there next to him?" Rogue demanded. "Ah hell no!"

"You can not be distracted by your feelings or morals during a mission. You must know when to strike and you can not hesitate. Often the moment for action is mere milliseconds in length.

"I know that!"

"Then why did you not take the shot?" McKenna demanded.

Rogue had tossed off her scarf and mask onto the plush bed, pushing her long red hair back into a ponytail. She whirled when McKenna asked the last question, her red hair glinting in the soft light and flashing against the golden wallpaper of the room.

"I didn't take the shot 'cause his son, who wasn't more'n _three years old_ was standin' right there!"

"Had your mind been clear, you would have never seen the child." McKenna scolded.

"But I did!" Rogue replied. She sat down hard on the white bed sheets. "I can kill people, McKenna, you know that pretty damn well."

"Yes,"

"But I don't kill fathers unless I got a damn good reason."

"Well then here's a reason." McKenna replied loudly. Rogue was glad the room was soundproof. "Ian Quinn is a human trafficker, arms dealer, and generally un-human."

Rogue glared at her.

"Now," McKenna added. "Thanks to you, he's heading to an underground auction right now. One we can't stop because we don't know where it is! Had we killed him, they would have delayed the auction, found a new leader, one we could influence, and then we could take down the entire ring. Thanks to you, hundreds of girls are going to die!"

Rogue bit her lip so hard she cut herself. Blood trickled over her lower lip and down to her chin. She wiped it up quickly, licking the blood off of her finger. She took a deep breath and McKenna saw the damage she had done in the red-head's eyes.

McKenna sat on the bed next to Rogue and placed a hand on her knee. Rogue flinched slightly, something the Belle did not normally did. McKenna wondered how bad she had hurt her apprentice.

"I understand why you chose not to take the shot." McKenna said quietly. "There was a time when I did the exact same time. My teacher was not as gentle to me as I am to you."

"Am I supposed to be grateful?" Rogue asked.

"That's not what I'm saying." McKenna replied, ignoring the tone Rogue had used. "What I'm saying is that I know how you feel."

Rogue rolled her eyes.

McKenna sighed and reached into her belt. Rogue pulled away, worried the brunette might cut her with some knife, but McKenna pulled out a picture instead. It was her, except younger. There was a white house in the background and a green yard beneath their feet. The sky was blue. There was a second girl in the picture, much younger. She had the same face as her sister, curly brown hair and a Star of David hanging from her neck.

"This is my sister, Kitty." McKenna smiled sadly. "She was young and innocent, sweet and beautiful, she was my world and I would have done anything for her." McKenna hesitated. "I did _everything_ for her."

Rogue looked at McKenna curiously.

"I was not the woman supposed to be sitting beside you today. It was supposed to be Kitty." McKenna said quietly, a whisper in fact. It was as if the two were on a crowded train and McKenna didn't want anyone to hear what they were saying. "The Hand originally wanted Kitty to be their _Shǎnyào zhī xīng_. She doesn't know it yet, but Kitty is a mutant."

Rogue knew all too well what mutants were. Fury had told her before sending her off to this hell-hole. She had to act her part, though.

"Mutant?"

"People like us, with special abilities." McKenna replied. "We are called mutants."

Rogue nodded and made an "ah" sound.

"So yo'r sister is a mutant?" Rogue asked after a moment of silence.

"Not yet," McKenna replied. "When she becomes a mutant, she will be the most powerful of them all. She will hold the key to saving a world from a disaster.* Her abilities will go beyond most other mutants. The Hand wanted to manipulate her, turn her into me, turn her into a killer."

"So you volunteered." Rogue replied, connecting the dots in her mind.

McKenna nodded, a tear sliding down her cheek and dripping onto her outfit. "She was my baby sister. I had to protect her."

Rogue nodded slowly. "How'd ya know they were comin' for her?" she asked.

McKenna took a shaky breath and put the picture back up. "That is a story for another time." She replied. "Now, I am going to teach you to cleanse your mind so you can do what needs to be done. Close your eyes."

Rogue crossed her legs on the bed and closed her eyes. McKenna put a hand on each of her knees.

"Focus on your happiest memory." She whispered.  
>-<p>

Rogue opened her eyes, taking a deep breath.

"Clear?" McKenna asked.

"Like mud." Rogue replied sourly. "I've run outta good memories."

"Let me try." McKenna whispered, reaching with her bare hands for Rogue's temples. Rogue grabbed her hands.

"Wait!" Rogue exclaimed. "I'll drain ya!"

"Trust me, _ye haizi_." McKenna replied. Rogue slowly released her hands and McKenna reached up, touching Rogue's head gently with her fingers. Rogue could feel the drain beginning, but before McKenna's power flooded her veins, the brunette let go. The memory flashed through Rogue's mind.

"Nice trick." Rogue commented. "Last time all you could do was take the memories."

"I have been practicing." McKenna smiled.

Rogue nodded. "Thank you, McKenna."

McKenna smiled. "As long as you keep an eye on my sister and keep her out of harm's way and away form the Hand, I am still in your debt, my friend."

Laura pushed open the door to Rogue's room and McKenna glanced up. "Ah! Hello again _Xiǎo māo_!" she exclaimed.

"Sorry," Laura said. "I was just coming to check on Rogue. I was unaware you were here."

"It is fine." McKenna replied, standing up. "I was leaving."

Rogue smiled at her one more time and McKenna darted out the window. Rogue watched her go, then turned to Laura. "I'm fine, X." she said, standing up and pouring a shot-glass full of liquid before setting the bottle back under her nightstand. Laura smiled and nodded, closing the door behind her.

Laura descended the stairs and turned into the living room. Jubilee was standing at the window and the television was on. Laura turned up the news report.

"…_increasing vigilante attacks in New York City by both the purple female archer known as Knightress and the wall-crawling red-and-blue hero known as Spiderman have the NYPD worried. However, police captain George Stacy, who works in an area of the city with frequent vigilante attacks says that the vigilante attacks have helped the NYPD catch several criminals they were unaware of and dozens they have been searching for for quite a while. He adds that vigilantes are not the law and the police need to be left to do their jobs…"_

"Hypocrites at their finest." Laura muttered. "Am I correct, Jubilee?"

Jubilee continued to stare out of the window.

"Jubes?" Laura asked, walking up to the window next to her and spotting the source of her worry immediately. Rahne and Roberto were on a bench about one hundred yards from the Institute. As the two girls watched, Roberto wrapped his arm around Rahne and she leaned into his embrace. Jubilee sighed.

"What am I supposed to do about that?" she demanded. "I don't want to ignore it, let him get away with whatever, but what does that leave me with? I can't confront him!" She turned to Laura. "What's your opinion?"

Laura did not remove her eyes from the couple on the bench. She ached inside, but from what she didn't know.

"I am not the best person to be asking for relationship advice." Laura replied.

"I'm not." Jubilee corrected. She paused. "With you hanging out with Rogue, maybe you should say "ain't"…then again that might be weird…"

"I still do not understand why you are teaching me to slur my words. My grammar is perfect. It does not need to be corrected."

"You gotta blend in, Laura!" Jubilee exclaimed. "Saying "do not" and "I am" makes you stick out!"

Laura laughed.

"What?" Jubilee demanded.

"You do a _terrible_ impersonation of me." Laura giggled.

Jubilee scowled and punched her in the arm playfully. She glanced out the window once more and sighed, turning back to Laura. "All right, fine. No grammar? You're getting a lesson in punk rock tonight."

Laura made a curious face. "Punk rock? I was unaware there were sub-categories."

Jubilee snickered. "Come on," she gestured.  
>-<p>

It was turning evening. The sky was fading from blue to a dark purple. The few clouds on the horizon glowed faintly in the little remaining light of the sun, only the tip of which could be seen over the horizon. The grass was dying slowly as winter approached, just as the heart of the woman standing on it died every time she visited the gravesite. She took a shaky breath and knelt down, placing the purple lilacs on her fiance's grave. She stood up and placed one hand on her swollen belly, rubbing it gently as she sobbed quietly in the stillness and darkness of the night. Someone walked up behind her and Amanda Sefton turned to see Kitty Pryde standing behind her. The brunette had graduated high-school that spring and had decided to attend college originally, but was now doubting her decision due to the recent change of events. Kitty was wearing skinny jeans and a light blue shirt with a blue-jean motorcycle jacket over it. Her hands were stuffed in her pockets to keep them warm, but her silver-link bracelet with the Star of David hanging from it was still visible. Kitty smiled sadly at Amanda and wrapped an arm around the dark-eyed girl's shoulders, having to stand on her tip-toes to do so.

"Thanks for coming, Kitty." Amanda whispered quietly, dabbing at her face with a tissue.

"I'm always here for you." Kitty replied softly, tugging Amanda closer.

The two girls stood in silence, staring at the grave-site. Kurt's grave was simple, just a polished stone slab bearing his name, birth and death dates, and a phrase: "Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…"

"I don't know what I'd do without you, Kitty." Amanda whispered. "If it weren't for you these past six months, I'm not sure I would have made it."

"Kurt would want us to be strong," Kitty whispered, staring at the gravestone fondly, sadly.

Amanda smiled. "There was something I wanted to ask you. I was going to ask tomorrow, but since you're here tonight, I'll ask anyway."

"Hmm?" Kitty asked, arching an eyebrow.

"I was wondering if you'd be Jimaine's godmother."

Kitty looked at her in surprise, her blue eyes catching the lights of the Xavier Institute as they automatically flicked on at the first sign of night.

"Really?" she asked.

"You've always been there for Kurt and me, even before—" Amanda glanced at Kurt's grave. "Before he died. I just figured that if anything happened to me—"

"Which nothing will…" Kitty said firmly.

"I was hoping you would look after Jimaine for me."

"Of course." Kitty smiled.

"Jimaine is Kurt's final gift to me." Amanda said fondly, rubbing her stomach and looking at Kurt's grave.  
>-<p>

_She ran, ran as fast as she could. The men were mere feet behind her. The dark-haired girl rounded another corner, the same greenish light illuminating everything._

"_Stop following me!" she yelled. "Stop! Stop! Stop! STOP!"_

_She yelled and collapsed to her knees, clutching her head. The men rounded the corner and looked at her, pulling out a baton. They were dressed in black rubber suits, the green HYDRA logo on each of their shoulders. Their masks were distorted by some green fog, but they reminded the girl of skulls. They approached and she screamed, covering her head. "Stop! Stop it!"_

_A dark, demonic voice came from nowhere, and yet everywhere._

"_Make them stop, X-23. You make them stop. You are the only one who can make them stop!"_

"_Stop! Please! Stop!" the young girl pleaded, breaking down into tears. She could only have been eight._

"_Weakness will not be tolerated, X-23. They won't stop until you make them stop." Came the demonic voice again._

_The first man hit her with his baton and the clone cried out, falling onto her back and exposing her mid-section, covered only by a thin night-gown, to the brutality of her beaters. They hit her with their batons and she took it, crying, screaming into the whiteness of the walls and the greenness of the light and fog. They beat her for several minutes until they finally let up. The clone opened her eyes carefully. She could feel the bruises healing already, but something told her they weren't done. They were never done. They would never be done._

_One of the soldiers grabbed her thin night-gown and ripped it open, exposing her bare body. She screamed as his cold rubber gloves grasped her still young breasts. One hand went between her legs and she screamed, begging him to stop. He laughed. They all laughed. He jabbed into her and she screamed, her claws ejecting from her hands. She sliced the throat out of his suit with such force that body parts came out with her claws. A huge blood splatter stained the white walls and the soldier's head came nearly clean off. It flipped backwards onto his back, connected by a thin layer of tissue, muscle, and skin._

_The other soldiers grabbed their guns to shoot, but the clone took care of the weapons with a single swipe from her claws, slicing the cold metal in half. She ran and jammed her claws into one soldier's shoulders. He shouted in pain, his voice distilled by his mask. The clone ejected the claw from her foot and kicked upwards, slicing his heart out. _

_The four other soldiers pulled out batons and swung at her. She grabbed one baton with her hand and another with her foot, using her remaining two limbs to slice the third and fourth batons in half and kill two soldiers. She stabbed with her foot, ramming the baton into another soldier's chest and kicking off of the final soldier with her other foot, pulling his heart out with it. She picked it up with her hand and squeezed, crushing it. Blood splattered all over her bare body and face, the muscle and tissue bleeding through her fingers._

_She looked at the dead men, at the heart in her hand, at the blood and guts on the floors and wall and fell to her knees, sobbing. They left her like that, they always did. In a few moments she would pick up her nightgown, wrap it around her small, petite figure as best as she could, and return to her room._

_This time she didn't. She grabbed a soldier's arm and ripped the flesh from it with her teeth. She continued tearing her prey to pieces with her mouth and claws in such a rage of anger that nothing was left but bones, blood, and shredded muscle. Something pricked her in the neck and she fell to the ground, unconscious.  
>-<em>

Laura sheathed her claws and gripped her hand hard to keep it from shaking so terribly. She was breathing heavily. She pushed her sheets aside messily, feeling the sweat on them and her bare legs. The moonlight filtered over her skin and the cool breeze from the window she had propped open blew against her. The coolness of the soft air and the dampness of the sweat clinging to her body made her shiver and wish to crawl back under her sheets. She couldn't though. She had stuck out her claws this time. She sighed and sat on the edge of her bed, placing her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. She breathed shakily. The always-in-control and tough, fierce clone couldn't stop shaking now. She stood up slowly and carefully, making her bed absolutely silently. She crossed the carpeted floor towards Amara's bed and glanced at her sleeping figure. Laura took the covers in one hand and adjusted them to cover more of the Nova Roman's body. Amara shifted slightly in her sleep. Laura's facial expression barely changed. She glanced at herself in the mirror in passing. Other than the sweat on her body, she looked normal. Her hair was long and straight, as if it could not be messy by design. Her close-cropped black and green shorts and black tank-top clung to her body because of the sweat, but none were ripped, torn, or even wrinkled. Laura sighed softly and opened the large wooden door quietly so she didn't wake Amara. She placed her bare feet on the cold hard-wood floors and shivered slightly as a wave of cold went up her spine. She closed the door and headed down the stairs towards the living room. She had been sleeping down here for a month. She just hoped Rogue didn't come down again tonight. She might get suspicious.  
>-<p>

-  
><strong>X-Men: Standing Guard will return in a Moment<br>**-

* See S1E02 "Sizzling Rich"

** Now, what disaster could she be referring too…(HINT: S1E12-14)

***Hee, hee, hee. Check the Epilogue and the rest of the season. :D


	2. S2E01 In Need of an Angel Epilogue

-  
><em>Worthington Labs<br>October 9, 11:32 EST  
><em>-

"How's the cure coming, Mr. Worthington?"

"Despite Magneto nearly ruining it this morning and finding out just how close to completion we were, everything seems fine."

"Are you still on-track for the release of the Cure world-wide next month?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Can you produce an aerosolized version?"

"You want to _weaponize_ the Cure?"

"What did you think I was going to do, Mr. Worthington? Have it dished out like a flu shot?"

"Well, no, but I wasn't expecting you to use it in _battle_!"

"The Sentinels are active once again, Mr. Worthington. I won't have them as easily defeated by the mutants as last time."

"Of course."

"Now, where's the young man responsible for this breakthrough?"

"Nate!"

A young man walked over, his white lab coat billowing behind him in the cool air-conditioning of the laboratory. He was tall, slightly pale, with red-brown eyes as rustic as old metal, and pitch-black hair as dark as night. He was rather skinny and flat.

"Mr. President," he greeted with a smile, shaking Kelly's hand.

"Mr. President, this is Dr. Nathaniel Essex. He's the scientist who discovered the ability to make a cure and is the chief doctor working on it."

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. President." Nathaniel Essex replied with a glint in his eye. "Call me Nate."


	3. S2E02 Teaser 1

_"There's a new player we've been tracking." Fury started as the images flickered from one to the next. "Vigilante. She's left dozens of bodies around the city; most of them are drug dealers, gangbangers...the misogynistic criminals would be luckier if she kills them. We've been calling her "Knightress"."_  
>-<p>

-  
><strong>New Allies<strong>  
>-<p>

The purple-hooded vigilante drove through the large door into the sub-level of a _Bishop Publishing_ warehouse. She got off of her purple motorcycle and picked up her bow, crossing the room and placing it and her quiver in the glass display case. There was a girl at the computers. She was of Hispanic descent, with creamy brown skin, dark hair and dark eyes. She glanced up as the purple-clad girl pulled her hood down and shook her jet-black hair free. She pulled off her sunglasses, exposing the true-blue eyes belonging to Kate Bishop.  
>-<p>

-  
><strong>New Loves<strong>  
>-<p>

The boy laughed, brushed his long black hair behind his ear and walked towards the dark-haired girl in a T-shirt.

"Hi," he greeted.

Laura turned around from watching a hay-ride.

"Hello." She returned politely, but coldly, and turned back to watching the hay-ride.

He paused. This wasn't the reaction he'd been expecting. "Laura, right?"

Laura turned and stared at him intently, as if trying to scan his brain for anomalies.

"I'm Jullian. Jullian Keller." He greeted. His green eyes twinkled as he extended a hand.

Laura stared at his hand, trying to decide whether to remove it or not, then shook it.

"Nice to meet you."

"So do you have a date to this fun-fest or could you give this charming young man the honor of escorting you around?"  
>-<p>

-  
><strong>Dark Secrets<strong>  
>-<p>

"You know, I think there was something off tonight." Kitty said as she and Rogue crossed the street to Rogue's car.

Rogue raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yeah," Kitty replied. "That assassin…"

Rogue stumbled a little, caught off-guard. "What about 'er?"

"I don't know. For some reason, she seemed familiar." Kitty replied, distantly.

Rogue paused. She had to be very careful here. "Like…an old enemy?"

"No, not like that…" Kitty replied. She thought for a minute as she and Rogue climbed into the car. "Ah well, it's not important."

Rogue nodded and cranked the car. Kitty sighed and leaned her seat back. "Well, I'll text Fury from the Dark Room tonight and tell him he can rest assured Kate Bishop is not the Knightress."

Rogue nodded. She wanted to talk more with Kitty, but her words were stuck in her throat. She was terrified if she opened her mouth again, secrets would spew forth.  
>-<p>

-  
><strong>X-Men: Standing Guard<br>Season 2 "Dark Secrets"  
>Episode Two "Young Avenger"<br>Saturday, September 6****th****  
><strong>-

"Kate Bishop was originally going to play sick tonight and have the Knightress come in and confront Ian Quinn." Kate said. "But if Kate is at the ball when the vigilante is there…"

"Do you know how annoying it is when you refer to yourself in the third person?" America asked.

Kate smirked.


	4. S2E02 Young Avenger

**AN: Here we are, back again with the second episode of Season 2 of **_**X-Men: Standing Guard**_**. This is the first cross-over event this season with the new series **_**Bishop**_**. It's also the back-door pilot for **_**Bishop**_**. There's an interesting timeline going on here, so let me explain it. Immediately following the events of this episode, the series premiere of **_**Bishop**_** takes place. ****Afterwards, each **_**X-Men**_ **episode will take place at the same time (roughly) as the same episode of **_**Bishop**_**. The two series will be synced and this synchronization will make much more sense further down the road. ****(NOTICE: Because of the lack of reviews, the **_**Bishop**_** story is no longer being published)  
>Now, this episode of <strong>_**X-Men**_** is huge! We've got several new plotlines starting this episode, one of which will lead to the end the season. I've already written the final scene and know exactly where we end up this season. I'm introducing a new love interest, changing up some old ones, and am revealing something many of you don't seem to have picked up on by now about Rogue's past life. This episode isn't as long as the Season Premiere, only clocking in at 10,000 words, but trust me, it's plenty jam-packed.  
>I actually wrote almost the entire episode in one day, after I finished writing the Season Premiere. A lot of work goes into this series. I appreciate all of your support, but remember that reviews are the only way for me to know if my series are being enjoyed. Once again, I need fifty reviews by the Season Finale for the series to be renewed for its final season. Now, that seems a long way off, but keep in mind that there will only be thirteen episodes this season. That means roughly three reviews per episode will be needed to get the series renewed, and right now I only have one.<br>If you have been waiting for Kate Bishop to show up in full vigilante force, and were disappointed this episode, go check out the Series Premiere of **_**Bishop**_** which is **_**live right now!**_** Leave your support on that as well. For sneak peeks at future episodes and updates about progress, check out my profile and follow me on Twitter! Enjoy the episode!  
>-<strong>

"Ouch!" Laura exclaimed.

"Suck it in." Rogue replied.

"I do not understand the point of this holiday." Laura replied, sucking in her breath to an impressive degree while Rogue adjusted the strap on her dress.

"It's just for fun." Rogue replied, gritting her teeth and trying to snap the dress onto Laura, but the clone let out a breathless, high-pitched cry and Rogue sighed, standing up. "Some'n didn' buy the right size."

"Sorry!" Amara exclaimed from behind the bathroom door. "She couldn't make up her mind on a costume, so I chose one for her. She was terrified someone would see her trying it on."

Rogue looked at Laura almost disappointed.

"What?" Laura asked.

Rogue sighed exasperated and waved her hands in the air, walking off.

"I still do not understand why I have to go." Laura replied. "My time would be much better spent studying or training here at the Institute."

"Because it's fun." Amara replied, walking out of the bathroom and pulling her hair into a bun while Laura stripped the tight costume off of her body and threw on a T-shirt and jeans. "And because it's a social thing."

"I do not wish to socialize."

"Who knows, X," Amara said deviously. "You might meet a boy."

Laura made a disgusted face and Rogue leaned her head out of the closet.

"I gotta vet him first."

"What? Rogue! She's sixteen!"

"Eight." Rogue corrected.

"Whatever!" Amara exclaimed. "It's not like she can't take care of herself!"

"Ain't the point." Rogue's muffled voice came from inside the closet. She straightened up. "What about Kitty's costume from last year? You said she was a cat?"

"Hell no." Laura said firmly, holding a finger in the air. "I would rather stay here."

"No." Rogue said firmly. "Yo're goin'."

"Rahne is staying here."

"That's diff'nt." Rogue responded, standing up and popping her neck.

"Yeah, she and Roberto are gonna—"

"Amara!" Rogue scolded harshly.

"What?" Amara demanded. "Everyone knows those two have a thing for each other! It's not a big secret!"

"Robbie's datin' Jubes, and Rahne ain't a home-wrecker."

"He's not married to her."

"Hey!" Bobby exclaimed, sticking his head in the door. "Thing starts in ten minutes. Hurry up!" he glanced at Laura. "Why aren't you wearing a costume?"

"The costume was too small." Laura replied. "Apparently I am being forced to attend this ridiculous festival."

"You don't let 'er leave one _second_ early." Rogue ordered Bobby.

"Yes'm." Bobby saluted. He turned to Amara. "You look nice."

"Hnn…" she responded, not even glancing at him as she adjusted her hair in the mirror.

"Oh, come on, Amara!"

"Go away."

"Just look at me!"

"We're not doing this right now!"

"It was one kiss, it was an accident, I swear I won't do it again!"

"Sure," Amara snorted. "You run through girls like a cop runs through donuts."

"That's not fair!"

Laura growled and clutched her head. Bobby shut up and left the room.

"_Rogue, Amara, Laura, Lorna, everyone downstairs now."_ Charles voice spoke into their minds like an echo in the wind.  
>-<p>

The three girls descended the stairs, Lorna taking a short-cut and floating down into the main area. She was wearing a gypsy outfit, a white and light green shirt tied up under her breasts. Rogue suspected she was wearing a push-up bra. A long, thin, breezy dress of the same fabric covered her legs, parts of it see-through and cut-away to make the outfit that much more sensual. She had curves, no one could deny that. No one was used to seeing her body, as she was normally conservatively dressed. She had green gloves on her hands and a green, see-through mask that she pulled up over her face. Her hair flowed behind her in cascading waves of Greek fire.

Rahne was above, leaning over the railing, staring down at all of the action. She had cut her hair much shorter over the summer. It no longer had a pixie design, but was instead cut in almost a buzz-cut fashion, somehow standing straight up on her head and managing to be a decent length. She was wearing a black leather motorcycle jacket, a red tank-top and tight blue-jeans. She had gotten her ears pierced over the summer and had several ear-rings in each ear. She was definitely going for a more punkish look.

The source of all the commotion was one, tall Caucasian male in the doorway wearing a black suit and trench-coat. A gun was on his hip and a golden eagle on his right shoulder. An eyepatch covered his right eye, clashing sharply with his pale skin. He must have been near fifty, but the scowl on his scarred face showed he was still very dangerous.

"Fury?" Rogue exclaimed, eyeing him suspiciously as she descended the stairs. "The hell're you doin' here?"

"I came to ask a favor." Fury replied. "Of Ms. Pryde."

"Me?" Kitty exclaimed.

"Yo're outta fav'rs." Rogue exclaimed loudly and strongly. "Ever since ya lied 'bout X!" She pointed at the clone.

"Trust me, Ms. Pryde will want to listen to me this time." Fury replied.

Kitty glanced around and rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she waved, and began to follow Fury out of the doorway. This complicated things for Rogue.

"Wait!" she exclaimed. "I don' think it's wise for Kitty to go alone."

"Agreed," Charles said. "Rogue will accompany Kitty. I hope this is not a problem, Director?"

Fury glanced at Rogue and shook his head.

"Let's go."  
>-<p>

-  
><strong>X-Men: Standing Guard<br>Season 2 Episode Two  
>"Young Avenger"<br>-**

The S.H.I.E.L.D. Heli-Carrier bridge had changed much since the last time the X-Men had seen it. A hoop was strung on the door that beeped every time a person entered or left. Fury caught Kitty glancing at it.

"It reads a chip inside every member of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s body. If you don't have a chip, you're arrested." Fury explained gruffly.

"Why?" Kitty asked.

"T' protect against HYDRA." Rogue responded.

Kitty glanced at her, took the reason, and continued onto the bridge. Fury waved and dismissed most of the bridge staff, leaving only himself and a few technicians alongside Assistant Director Maria Hill. Fury typed a handful of commands into the computer and the shutters over the large floor-to-ceiling windows of the bridge closed with a click.

"We need you to go to New York City." Fury said.

"Why?" Kitty asked.

Holo-images of a purple hooded woman appeared in the middle of the bridge. She wore a dark purple full-body suit with lighter purple armor plates covering her arms, legs, and chest. She had white highlights throughout her suit. In every picture she was wielding a bow.

"There's a new player we've been tracking." Fury started as the images flickered from one to the next. "Vigilante. She's left dozens of bodies around the city; most of them are drug dealers, gangbangers...the misogynistic criminals would be luckier if she kills them. We've been calling her "Knightress"."

Kitty stared at the images. "And you need me..."

"To discover her identity."

Kitty laughed. "What is it with you people and your need to invade everyone's private life? No."

Kitty turned and started to walk off. Rogue glanced at Fury, knowing he still had something up his sleeve.

"We think she's Kate Bishop." Fury called.

Kitty stopped dead in her tracks and turned around. "Kate?"

"Yes, being the vigilante would require training, money for the equipment…and the people she's targeting may be a psychological response to her rape earlier this year." Fury replied.

"Just because something terrible happened to someone doesn't mean they become a vigilante." Kitty replied, folding her arms over her chest.

"Sure it does," Fury replied. "Iron Man was abducted, Bucky Barnes, _Captain America_, was abducted by the Soviets and used as a weapon, Black Widow…"

"Alright! Alright!" Kitty exclaimed, holding up her hands. "Jeez, you people...What do you want me to do?"

"Just investigate. See if you can gather some proof that your friend isn't the vigilante. If she is, we'll recruit her as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and offer her S.H.I.E.L.D. resources. If she isn't, we'll leave her alone."

Kitty narrowed her eyes. "Fine."

Fury nodded. "Good, I'll have a S.H.I.E.L.D. team—"

"No." Kitty replied. "No S.H.I.E.L.D., no X-Men."

"What about me?" Rogue asked.

Kitty glanced at her. "Alright, Rogue. At least I know I can trust _you_…"

Rogue smirked at Fury, folding her arms over her chest. Fury rolled his eyes and turned around, dismissing them with a wave of his hand.  
>-<p>

"Nice costume, girlfriend!" someone exclaimed, latching themselves onto Lorna's arm.

"Hey, Valorie!" Lorna exclaimed, clutching the other girl's arm.

Valorie "Calorie" Cooper looked like a model. She had a perfect figure, perfect face, perfect hair, perfect eyes…in short she was perfect excepting her attitude. She was rather dim, shallow, and ditsy. She had taken an affection to Lorna and helped her mold to her new life at the school. They weren't really "friends", but all the girls followed Valorie, and Valorie followed Lorna, so it was a nice compromise.

The blonde-haired, blue-eyed teen was dressed in a rather slutty police officer outfit with a top that didn't cover much of her breasts and shorts so short, you could easily tell what color her underwear was from quite a distance away. She had completed the look with a police cap and fingerless gloves on each hand.

"Nice outfit to you, too." Lorna said, eyeing it carefully. "You ever thought of leaving more to the imagination?"

"What's the point of that?" Valorie demanded, tugging on Lorna's arm again. "After all, the guys love to look, so let 'em!"

Lorna sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Hey! Is that the Drake kid?" Valorie asked.

Lorna glanced at Bobby, sitting quietly on a bench eating cotton-candy. She squinted. "Yeah…it…it is." She muttered. "I've never seen him that quiet…or still…"

"You know he did the strangest thing yesterday." Valorie said.

"What'd he do?" Lorna asked, looking at Valorie in concern.

"I offered…" Valorie leaned up and whispered something in Lorna's ear. Lorna looked shocked.'

"Valorie!" she hissed.

The blonde giggled. "Well I did! You know what he said?"

"What?"

"No!"

Lorna glanced at her, then at Bobby, then twice more. "What?"

"I know, right! What guy _wouldn't_ screw me? Besides, we _all_ know how much he loves girls…"

"Yeah…" Lorna replied.  
>-<p>

Lyla Miller stood next to Amara.

"What about those two?" Amara asked eagerly.

Lyla stared at them. "Guy's broke, but pickpocketed people to pay for his girlfriend's night out. His girlfriend is attracted to another guy, though."

"How do you know all of this?" Amara exclaimed. "You're like Sherlock Holmes or something!"

Lyla smiled. "_She_ is staring at some dude on the other side of the field _incessantly_, _he_ hasn't bought one thing for himself."

"Well how did you know he was a pickpocket?" Amara asked.

"Oh, he nicked your wallet a few minutes ago."

Amara felt in the folds of her jacket. "What the hell? Hey! You!"

Lyla smirked.  
>-<p>

Kate Bishop sat upstairs in her bedroom, staring at the blank document on her computer. She was supposed to be writing an English report, but couldn't think of a single thing to write about. She hadn't read the book, _The Scarlet Letter_, the cliffnotes were in front of her. She didn't have time, not anymore. The walls of her room were pink and purple stripes, the floor a tan carpet, but it wasn't really visible. Medals and trophies cover the wall, a pile of stuffed animals sits in the corner.

"Kate! Someone's knocking for you!" her sister Susan called from downstairs. "Probably that America chick again!"

Kate sat up straight. Hanging with America was a much better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than writing a college paper. Besides, she may have news. Kate darted downstairs, her purple tee loose and having to tug her close-cropped shorts down. Her jet-black hair flowed behind her and her blue eyes sparkled in the city-lights streaming through the large floor-to-ceiling window in the living room. Kate rushed to the door of her apartment, noting to her sister they need a butler.

"Sure, maybe a BatCave while we're at it." Susan muttered.

Kate stopped for a moment, but waved it off, and opened the door.

"Kitty?" she asked. "What are you doing here?"

Kitty embraced the dark-haired girl. "I was in the neighborhood and though I'd stop by. How are you?"

"I'm fine," Kate replied. "Give or take an English report."

Kitty laughed.

"We're not cooling the entire apartment complex!" Susan called from the kitchen.

Kate rolled her eyes. "Grumpy-ass sister." She muttered.

Kitty giggled and Kate gestured for her to come inside.

"So, we aren't going to spend the day working on an English report are we?" Kitty asked loudly.

"I don't have a choice!" Kate replied loudly.

"Oh shut up! No one believes you!" Susan shouted from the kitchen.

The two girls giggled and darted up the modern, metallic stairs to Kate's bedroom.  
>-<p>

Rogue shut off the ear-comm, biting and clenching back tears so hard her palm and lips bled. She twirled in the alleyway trying her hardest not to cry. She gasped for air and broke, tears streaming from her eyes and sobs racking her body. She slammed her fist into the wall, blood dripping from her palm and now from her knuckles. She took a loud, deep, shaky breath and twirled, pushing her skull against the white brick wall.

She couldn't stand it sometimes. The pain from what she had done, the guilt of the things she had done, the fear of what she would have to do, the pressure from her current job, the responsibility placed on her shoulders. She slouched beneath it all. She couldn't take it. She needed to hit something. She gasped, standing up, and saw the wall. She turned and hit it.

_Kitty._

She swung her right fist, clenching her white teeth.

_McKenna._

Rogue kicked the wall so hard she was sure she broke a toe.

_Laura._

Rogue growled and hit the wall again, blood spraying from her fist onto the white wall.

_Fury._

She felt her knuckle break beneath the strength of her throw and the stiffness and unmovable power of the wall.

_Secrets._

Rogue slammed her left fist, still cringing when she moved her right fist.

_Lies._

Left fist again. Someone at the end of the alleyway stopped and stared at her. Rogue glared at them, breathing heavily, specks of blood on her face, blowing a strand of the white streak in her hair to the side. The civilian ran.

_Deceit_.

Rogue slammed her right fist into the wall again and her anger continued to build. The wall turned red in her vision and in reality as more blood sprayed from her onto the wall.

_Can't touch…_

Rogue yelled and slammed her head into the wall, stumbling back. She gasped and grasped the cut with her bloody right hand. She kicked the wall over and over. It wasn't fair she couldn't touch. She deserved it, she knew, but God why did it have to be her?

_Gambit_.

He had tried to stand by her, but after a few more incidents of draining, she had sent him away. She couldn't be around the man she loved most in the world. Why her?

_Why?_

She hit the wall with both fists and pulled back, cringing in pain.

_Why?_

Rogue slammed her left fist into the wall, then her wounded right one. Left, right, left right, like pistons on an assembly line she slammed the wall over and over again. There was a large spew of blood on the white bricks of the alley wall, and a pool dripping from her hands onto the dark pavement.

_Why her?_

Rogue knew the answer and increased the frequency of her punches.

_Can't love._

Rogue cried out in both physical and mental pain as she hit a delicate nerve in both her mind and body. She gasped as she sobbed more. She glanced up at the fire escape. Fifteen stories? Should do the job…

Rogue grabbed the floor of the fire escape and flipped up onto the landing.

_Can't touch._

Rogue climbed, breathing hard as she did so, one foot on a ladder rung, then the next. Higher and higher she climbed.

_Can't love_.

She was five stories up, blood continuing to drip from her hands. Some was flowing over her cracked lips and down to her chin, dripping onto her shirt.

_Can't touch_.

Higher.

_Can't love._

Rogue gasped in pain as a stitch opened up in her side, fire igniting within her.

_Can't touch._

Rogue hauled herself onto the roof and stumbled across the gravel, slipping and falling, scraping her exposed skin and getting dirt in the cut on her forehead. She bit the cut on her lip to conquer one pain by giving it another one to focus on.

_Can't love._

Rogue hauled herself to the edge of the roof, breathing heavily. She clenched her broken fist to the stitch on her side. Dirt, gravel, grime, blood flowed down her face. Her yellow and green suit was dirty from the gravel, small specks of blood on it.

_Can't touch._

Rogue eyed the ground at least eighty feet away. One step, kersplat! The world was rid of a problem.

_Can't—_

"Can't love." She gasped and sat down on the roof, sobbing, crying; the tears flowing from her eyes over her cuts onto her suit and body. She sobbed uncontrollably. She cried for a good thirty minutes before taking a deep, shaky breath and rubbing her eyes clean. She climbed the fire-escape down again, slower this time. She made her way to her car and pulled some wipes from the glove compartment. She rubbed them over her face and suit, cleaning herself. She patched up the cut on her forehead; that would be hard to explain. Rogue put a bandage on it and pulled the hair over her forehead, hiding it as best she could. She wrapped her fists in some bandages and covered the knuckles with black tape, sliding her gloves on with a cringe and sighed, eyeing herself in the mirror. No one would notice.  
>-<p>

"Who's that?"

"Oh, I'd stay away from her if I were you man."

"Why?"

"Haven't you heard the stories of the tiger lady?"

"Who?"

"Laura Kinney, that girl you got the hots for? Every guy who's tried to get _close_ to her has ended up with dislocated shoulders, broken fingers…she doesn't like guys, despite how much the guys like her."

"Laura Kinney? That's a nice name."

"Don't you dare."

"I think I'll give it a try."

"Dumb-ass."

The boy laughed, brushed his long dark hair behind his ear and walked towards the dark-haired girl in a T-shirt.

"Hi," he greeted.

Laura turned around from watching a hay-ride.

"Hello." She returned politely, but coldly, and turned back to watching the hay-ride.

He paused. This wasn't the reaction he'd been expecting. "Laura, right?"

Laura turned and stared at him intently, as if trying to scan his brain for anomalies.

"I'm Julian. Julian Keller." He greeted. His green eyes twinkled as he extended a hand.

Laura stared at his hand, trying to decide whether to remove it or not, then shook it.

"Nice to meet you."

"So do you have a date to this fun-fest or could you give this charming young man the honor of escorting you around?"

Laura smiled softly, distracted for a moment, then closed her eyes and looked down. "Sorry, I am not looking for companionship."

"I doubt it, beautiful girl such as yourself, I'm sure you got some lucky guy draped across your arm, doing whatever you want."

Laura blushed, she didn't know why. She hated it. She was exposing her inner emotions. She struggled to collect herself.

"Flattery will not get you anywhere with me." She smirked. Why did she smirk?

"Well, how about a showcase of my skills?" Julian asked. "Let me win you something at a carnival game and we can go from there."

He was very confident, and kind of cute. Laura had to admit it. She opened her mouth to decline his offer, but instead heard herself say "Sure."

Julian grinned and offered her his arm. She had half a mind to extend her claws and cut it clean off, but she found herself taking it. It was like her body was reacting before her mind! She had to get control over herself!  
>-<p>

"You sure you put the tracker on her?" Rogue asked. "These're awful erratic movements."

"Well if she's a vigilante like Fury thinks, then they make more sense." Kitty replied, leaning over and glancing at the computer read-out.

Rogue brushed a strand of her white hair out of her face and Kitty glanced at it. Rogue cursed herself.

"Rogue! Your forehead!"

"I know," the Belle muttered and tightened her grip on the steering wheel.

"What happened?"

"Tripped and fell." Rogue muttered.

"Are you alright? I mean you might need to get it checked out or—"

"I'm fine." Rogue whispered silently.

The night sky was dark, the moon shining down on the two girls. Rogue's red convertible was parked in an alleyway, hidden by the shadows of the building. She and Kitty were in their X-Men uniforms watching a scanner. The scanner updated every five seconds with another 'bleep!' showing the location of the tracker Kitty had placed on Kate when she had gone to visit her. Kitty had told Rogue she was fairly sure Kate _was_ the vigilante, but didn't want the information getting to Fury's hands. Rogue had nodded silently.

The two girls sat in silence for a minute before Kitty spoke up.

"Are you alright?"

"What?" Rogue asked. "I'm fine, it's just a cut."

"No," Kitty said softly, "not the cut, _you_."

Rogue raised an eyebrow.

"You seem really depressed recently. Did something happen?"

"Other than not bein' able to touch anyone, no, not really." Rogue replied bitterly, gripping the steering wheel ever-tighter.

"Well maybe not _now_, but in the past?"

Rogue stared at her. What the hell was she talking about?

"Well, you never talk about your past, which I totally get, it must have been a nightmare working for Trask, forced to hunt down your own kind…"

"So?" Rogue asked.

"So," Kitty said, taking a deep breath. "So, people who've experienced something really horrible often get really depressed every year about the time whatever it was happened." Kitty dipped, trying to look into Rogue's emerald eyes. "Did something happen to you?"

"Not _to_ me…" Rogue muttered. She realized what she had said and straightened up. "She's on the move again."

Kitty sighed and buckled her seat-belt as Rogue cranked up her car and turned, following the signal down the road.  
>-<p>

The purple-hooded vigilante drove through the large door into the sub-level of a _Bishop Publishing_ warehouse. She got off of her purple motorcycle and picked up her bow, crossing the room and placing it and her quiver in the glass display case. There was a girl at the computers. She was of Hispanic descent, with creamy brown skin, dark hair and dark eyes. She glanced up as the purple-clad girl pulled her hood down and shook her jet-black hair free. She pulled off her sunglasses, exposing the true-blue eyes belonging to Kate Bishop.

"How'd it go?" the girl at the computers asked.

"Fine, I didn't get any more leads tonight." Kate replied. "How'd things go for you, America?"

"Nothing still, sorry." The Hispanic apologized.

Kate sighed and picked up her bow. "I'm gonna do a few rounds and go home, see if I can't get that report done. It's due this week."

America nodded and turned back to the computers. Kate picked up her bow and quiver, walking across the long narrow room and taking up position to fire her bow. She fired off two arrows when her phone rang. She glanced at it. It was Kitty. She forwarded it to her Bluetooth.

"Hey, Kitty!" she greeted, notching another arrow.

"Hey, Kate." The voice replied. "What's up?"

There seemed to be a bit of echo on the line. "Nothing much, what about you?" Kate lied.

"Just watching you shoot bullseyes." Kitty responded.

Kate froze, releasing her arrow on accident, and it impaled itself into the wall. She turned around to see Kitty, in full X-Men uniform, leaning against a pillar.

"Kitty?" Kate exclaimed. America turned and let out a small squeal when she saw Kitty standing there. "What-?"

"I followed you." Kitty replied.

"How'd you get in?" Kate asked.

"Phased," Kitty replied. "I brought a guest, too. Don't worry, you can trust her. Rogue!"

For a moment nothing happened. Then a green leg extended itself from the darkness and Rogue stepped out of the shadows almost guiltily, staring at the floor.

America gasped.

Kate saw the white in her hair and her vision turned red. She snarled and leapt.

"Son of a—_bitch_!" she exclaimed, pinning Rogue to the wall with her arm around her throat.

"Whoah! Whoah!" Kitty exclaimed. "Kate!"

"She did it!" Kate snarled. "She's the one who abducted me! The _girl with the white hair_!"

Rogue had remained calmly pinned against the pillar, Kate's arm pressing into her throat. Kitty knew something was up, because Rogue could have _easily_ gotten out of that position if she had wanted.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Kitty demanded.

"In Africa! Before I was knocked out, I saw _her_! The girl with the white hair! _She's_ the one who abducted me and my mother!" Kate hissed and pressed her arm further into Rogue's neck. "Where my mother _died_!"

Realization washed over Kate. She turned sharply to Kitty. "What the hell, Kitty! You're the one who brought her here!"

"Whoah! Whoah!" Kitty exclaimed. "I've still got no idea what's going on here. Why don't you get off Rogue and let's see if she can explain."

Kate hesitated, then pushed off of Rogue's throat and stood a short distance away. Rogue adjusted the collar of her jacket and uniform.

"I did do that." Rogue whispered.

Kate went to leap at her again, but America grabbed her arms and held her back.

"I used t' work for the Sentinel Project, a gover'nt division that hunted down mutants."

"I know what it is." Kate spat. "Am I supposed to feel sorry for you?"

"Kate!" Kitty exclaimed.

Rogue waved Kitty down. "They had me do other jobs as well, jobs like abduction." Rogue looked Kate dead in the eyes and showed true remorse. "Jobs like you an' yo'r mother."

Kate growled.

"I didn' know what was gonna happen to y'all. If I had, I woulda done my best t' stop it." Rogue said. "I'm truly sorry."

"That's why you didn't want to see her in the hospital." Kitty said.

Rogue nodded.

Kate was breathing heavily in anger, but America felt confident she could let her go.

"So what are you doing here, _Kitty_?" Kate asked, making sure to exclude Rogue from the picture. The belle sighed and leaned against the pillar.

"S.H.I.E.L.D.'s catching on to you," Kitty replied. "They sent me here to see if you were the vigilante or not, then tell them."

"But you aren't going to." Kate said. "Otherwise why would you be telling me this?"

Kitty smiled. "We need to make it impossible for you to be the vigilante."

"Well how do we do that?" America asked.

Silence, then Rogue spoke up.

"Have'm in the same place at the same time."

The girls stared at her.  
>-<p>

-  
><strong>An Exclusive Look at next week's episode of <strong>_**X-Men: Standing Guard**_**, the first in a two-part game changing event!**_**  
><strong>_-

Ms. Marvel arrival

**Don't Miss the Series Premiere of **_**Bishop**_**, live now!  
><strong>-

"You realize that these games are rigged?" Laura asked Julian as he led her to a stand.

Julian grinned and winked. It made Laura feel warm inside for some reason. She smiled at him.

"So what do you want?" he asked.

"Pardon?" Laura replied. It was something she had picked up from Rogue.

"Prize!" Julian pointed to a row of stuffed animals. "Which one do you want?"

Laura glanced at them. She had no clue which one to choose. It took her approzimately ten seconds, but she finally chose a large purple teddy bear that was the size of her torso.

"Good luck," the stall owner chuckled. Julian tossed the man a five dollar bill and he moved to the side, still chuckling. He was large and wearing a white shirt with jeans. He was grossly obese, and practically bald except for a few white hairs that popped out of his thin beard and even thinner hair.

Julian picked up a baseball and threw it. He missed the can by a fraction of an inch. He picked up the second ball and threw it, this time it shook the can, but didn't knock it over. Laura glanced at him eagerly and Julian at her. He tossed the third ball and it pinged off of the can.

"Hey! Cheat!" Julian exclaimed.

The stall owner cackled. "Guess you aren't as strong as you think, kid."

The stall owner bent over to pick up Jullian's balls and Julian turned to Laura with a devilish look in his eye. He winked at her again and Laura tilted her head, an amused smile on her face. What was he up to?

Julian leaned over the counter and yanked something. The can tipped over. The stall owner stood straight up, but by then Julian was back to leaning on the counter, an amused and triumphant smile on his face.

"Hey! What the hell, kid?"

"You said knock the can over. I did." Julian said.

"You can't knock the can over, moron. It only tips over if—" the owner stopped himself. Julian raised an eyebrow. The stall owner fumed, snatched the purple bear off of the shelf and told them to scram. The two darted away, laughing.

"See? Told you." Julian said.

Laura smiled. "You knew he was cheating you!"

"Of course!" Julian replied. "They all cheat. It doesn't hurt for them to lose one teddy bear." He handed it to Laura. "A token of my affection."

Laura smiled and accepted it with a blush.

"So?" Julian asked after a few seconds of silence.

Laura glanced at him, still cuddling her bear.

"You want some cotton candy?"  
>-<p>

"Kate Bishop was originally going to play sick tonight and have the Knightress come in and confront Ian Quinn." Kate said. "But if Kate is at the ball when the vigilante is there…"

"Do you know how annoying it is when you refer to yourself in the third person?" America asked.

Kate smirked.

"Now, here's a question:" America said. "Who the hell plays Knightress?"

Kate glanced at Kitty who shook her head. "Sorry, no can do. I doubt I could pick up the bow properly."

Kate glanced at America, who shook her head as well. "Nope, nope, and nope."

Silence filled the Factory for a moment, then Kitty spoke up. "You might not like it, but Rogue is the best person to fill your boots…literally."

"No." Kate said flatly.

"Kate, she's about your height, your build, and has some bad-ass skills. I've seen them myself."

"I can handle a bow." Rogue confirmed.

"We'll see." Kate replied.

Rogue turned, walked across the room, picked up Kate's bow, notched an arrow, and let it fly. She knocked the pen out of America's hand and pinned it to the wall.

"Holy shit!" America exclaimed. "Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit!"

Kate glared and finally rolled her eyes. "Fine, you can shoot."

"Kate, I know you don't like it, but it's the only way." Kitty replied. "Trust her. I do."

Kate stared at Kitty for a moment, studying her. She finally sighed. "Fine."

Rogue nodded and placed the bow back up when she froze. "Who am I going after again?"

"Ian Quinn. He deals in pretty much everything that's illegal." America summarized.

"Shit." Rogue cursed.

"What?" Kate asked.

"I-I've, umm, I've heard of him. He's dangerous."

"What? You can only go after little girls and their mothers?" Kate demanded.

"Kate!" Kitty scolded.

"No, I-I-Kitty, I want you to stay here."

"What?" Kitty asked. She had never seen Rogue like this before.

"I'll see if I can explain later, but _promise_ me you won't go tonight."

Kitty stared at her dumbfounded. "Uh, sure, I guess?"

Rogue nodded. "Alright, I've got to make a phone call."

Rogue stepped outside and Kate turned to Kitty.

"You're totally coming."

"Aw hell yeah."

Rogue paced outside, holding the phone up to her ear.

"Come on, come on, pick up, McKenna, pick up!"

"I'm sorry, the number you have dialed does not have a voice mail box set up. Please leave—"

Rogue cursed.  
>-<p>

"It's beautiful, I'n' it?" Rahne asked, leaning against the railing of Roberto's balcony.

"Yes," he whispered, his eyes only on her. "Very,"

Rahne glanced at him and blushed, looking at the ground. "I was talkin' 'bout the moon ye fool."

"And I was talking about you," Roberto replied, brushing his hand against her cheek. She closed her eyes and leaned into it. He cupped it, placing a finger under her chin and leading her mouth to his…

"No," she replied. "No, ye're datin' Jubilee, an' ye shouldn' cheat on 'er."

"You're the one I care for." He whispered, not removing his hand from her soft face.

Rahne took a deep breath. "Go separate y'self from Jubes, then come back up here and I'll give ye a big wet 'un."

Roberto eyed her. "Consider it done."  
>-<p>

Rogue tugged at the purple fabric and pushed a few of the lighter purple arm-plates around. She scratched her hair through her hood, a white-streak falling into her eyes.

"Fuckin' worthless piece uh crap." She muttered.

"I think you look good in it." A new voice replied.

"McKenna!" Rogue hissed, pushing up her hood to get a better glimpse at the brunette.

The two friends were crouched on the roof of the Moira McTaggert Memorial Ballroom. The large oval room was roughly thirty feet below them and covered in a rich gold and red carpet. The walls were a creamy tan color with ornate paintings and decorations populating the area. Some were paintings, others were portraits, a few were photographs. The ceiling was a glass oval dome with three chandeliers hanging from them. Rogue and McKenna were crouched to the side, hidden in the shadows were no one could see them.

There were a little over a hundred people in the ballroom. Most were women, with groups of men spotted throughout. The men wore tuxes and the women wore such a wide variety of dress styles and colors that Rogue knew there would be no problem losing a target in the room.

There she went again, referring to people as "targets".

"So what are you doing up here in that sexy piece of purple?" McKenna asked, running a finger down Rogue's purple arm. She shivered slightly, chill-bumps running up and down her spine.

"See the black-haired girl in the white dress with purple outlines?" Rogue asked.

"Yep."

"That's Kate Bishop. She's supposed t' be wearing this tonight, but S.H.I.E.L.D. suspects her, so she hopes to disprove 'em tonight by having me drop in an' kick some ass."

"Ah," McKenna smiled. "One fine ass kicking another."

"Stop it already!" Rogue exclaimed.

"Stop what?" McKenna asked innocently.

"Stop flirtin'!"

"Who, me?" McKenna asked sweetly. "I'm not flirt—" she turned to Rogue harshly and quickly. "What the hell, Rogue?"

"What?" Rogue asked.

McKenna grabbed her head and directed it to the party below, pointing to a brown-haired girl in a golden, strapless dress.

"What the hell is my sister doing here?"

Rogue growled and pulled out her phone. "Never listens, stubborn li'l ass…" Below Kitty answered her phone. "Kitty! What the hell!"

"What?" Kitty asked innocently.

"Oh don't you pull 'at bullshit! I told ya t' stay at the Factory!"

"Well Kate invited me and I didn't see the harm."

Rogue growled and hung up. "Kate's her friend." She explained to McKenna. "When I heard we were comin' here tonight, I told her to stay there. Shoulda known she wouldn' listen!"

McKenna cursed. "Well tonight's my last chance to confront Quinn. The second I'm done with this mission, I've got to go to Latveria."

Rogue sighed. "Well what're we gonna do?"

McKenna thought for a minute, then she grinned. "I _am_ supposed to _intimidate_ Quinn…"

"Battle Royale?" Rogue asked with a grin.

"Just like Hong Kong." McKenna replied.

"Well, not _exactly_…"

McKenna laughed, clear and loud, sharp and crisp. Rogue missed it. "How long will it take ya t' change?"

"Give me five." McKenna replied. She stood up and moved away a few feet, opening her purse. She dropped her dress to the ground, leaving her in a bra and panties. Rogue stared at her as she undressed, then zipped her tight leather pants up, fastened her leather top on, attached her hood, pulled her mask up, and retrieved her bow.

"Now _that_'s more like Hong Kong." McKenna grinned.

"You look good, too." Rogue complimented her, rather dryly however.

McKenna smiled. "Thank you."

Quinn had dimmed the lights and moved on-stage, the spotlight shining down on him. Rogue and McKenna moved to a better position for battle. The billionaire was dressed in a tan suit, with a loose dress shirt underneath. He seemed casual. He was handsome, wealthy, and as he spoke, Rogue discovered he was charming. He was also a human trafficker, arms dealer, terrorist, and funder of international chaos.

"After you." Rogue smirked. McKenna grinned, kicked out a skylight and dropped in. Everyone looked up in shock as McKenna dropped in, her hood low and her mask high. Her eyes were barely visible. Kate and Kitty were in the back of the room, so there was no way Kitty would recognize her sister. McKenna took out security first, kicking one guard in the stomach and driving arrows into two other's shoulders. She turned and punched the fourth guard. She approached Quinn, who was backing up desperately.

"Mr. Quinn!" McKenna shouted. The microphone picked up her voice and carried it around the room. "Mr. Quinn!"

Rogue took this opportunity and jumped in as well. She stood up and aimed an arrow at Quinn. "You have failed this city!" She turned the arrow at McKenna and fired. The assassin darted to the side and fired her own arrows. Rogue moved to the side and the arrow struck an elderly woman in the shoulder. Rogue cursed and ran up on stage, firing arrows to keep McKenna busy. She had forgotten how good McKenna truly was, though. McKenna returned fire, nicking one of her armor plates.

"Rogue!" Kitty exclaimed through her ear-piece. Rogue tapped her ear and leapt up the stairs, kicking off the wall, landing on the lectern and jumping straight up, firing three arrows at once. One hit McKenna's hood and nearly took it off. McKenna spun away from the crowd, though, and fixed it. Rogue was already on her however, throwing soft punches and gentle kicks.

"Hurt me." McKenna whispered. "Harder!"

Rogue threw real punches, unleashing her true martial arts and powerful body upon McKenna. McKenna had trained Rogue though, and knew all of her moves. McKenna blocked them, jabbing in counter-strikes. Rogue moved her body as if it were liquid, avoiding the blows McKenna threw at her. McKenna had been her teacher and Rogue knew all of her moves.

"Do you see the way they're fighting?" Kate asked Kitty. "It's like they know each other's moves!"

"That's impossible." Kitty replied. "Rogue worked with the government, not assassins. The girl must be a mutant."

"With what, anti-Rogue powers? No, they've trained before. Trust me, I know."

Rogue ducked behind the stage, pulling the lectern down and nearly hitting McKenna. The assassin stumbled back and Rogue leapt, swinging her bow. The two girls dueled, slapping bow-sticks with each other. McKenna grinned beneath her mask and Rogue did as well. McKenna was near a wall. She jumped, kicked upwards off the wall and landed behind Rogue, hitting her in the back. Rogue cringed and turned, swiping at McKenna's legs. The assassin jumped over it and the two clashed bows, pushing as hard as they could until their weapons were at the breaking point.

"Grand finale?" McKenna asked.

Rogue grinned, kicking McKenna away. The assassin stumbled, fell backwards, and tumbled a little longer than she should have, standing up. Rogue already had an arrow notched at her.

"Surrender!" she shouted, the voice changer making her voice deeper.

McKenna smirked and notched her own arrow. She blinked once, twice, three times…

The two girls let their arrows fly and they _cut the other arrows in half_.

"Whoah." Kate whispered.

"You have your warning." McKenna growled at Quinn, pulled an arrow out of her quiver, and fired it at the roof, grappling out. Rogue turned to Quinn.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, yes I think so." Quinn replied.

"Good, then this will hurt a little bit worse." Rogue notched an arrow and shot it through his shoulder before following McKenna's example and retreating to the roof. Police screeched up outside and a white-haired captain ran through the room.

"NYPD Captain George Stacy! Where's the vigilante?"

Most of the guests pointed to the roof. Stacy cursed.

"This is Delta Charlie Fifty-two to central, we need paramedics, we have wounded." He shouted into his shoulder radio.  
>-<p>

Fright Night was pretty much over. Most of the kids had gone home, the stalls were closing up, and the lights were flickering off. Laura and Julian were walking away, bumping shoulders and elbows. Laura had maintained a tight grip on her large purple teddy bear and was still eating the remainder of her _third_ box of pink cotton candy. Julian had a bag of popcorn, mostly devoured, in his right hand, his left he kept near Laura, brushing his fingers against the back of her palm.

The two walked to the edge of the camp, far away from the entrance where none of the other mutants would see them, and stood staring at each other.

"It was nice to meet you, Laura." Julian said.

"It was nice to meet you as well, Julian Keller." Laura replied with a kind, soft, gentle smile. "Thank you for the candy and teddy bear."

Julian smiled. "No problem."

The two stared at each other. Julian rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Well, it's kind of late. I'm sure you have to get home…I have to get home too…"

Laura nodded, suddenly it was hard to breathe, hard to swallow. The cotton candy stuck to the roof of her mouth and her hands felt sweaty. "I will…see you at school?"

"Yeah," Julian replied. "Yeah, sure."

Laura smiled and nodded, brushing a strand of her brown hair behind her and beginning to walk off. She had gotten about ten feet when Julian called "Laura!" The clone stopped and turned. Julian ran up to her with a pen. He opened her palm and jotted seven digits down. "That's my number. Call me maybe?"

Somewhere, one of Amara's songs popped into Laura's head.

"Yeah, sure." Laura breathed. She felt like she was hyperventilating, but in a good way. She liked it. She smiled and nodded at Julian. Julian turned and ran off. Laura took a deep breath, smiled widely, closed her fist around the teddy bear, and skipped towards the main gate.

No one noticed her cheery mood, fortunately. They were all too busy with their own lives. Lyla and Amara were giggling over a roll of ones that Laura suspected were other people's. Bobby trudged along and Lorna glanced after him worringly.

Laura calmed down and returned to her normal, brooding self, but it took some effort.  
>-<p>

"That fight wasn't real." That was the sentence Kate opened with when the four girls returned to the Factory.

"Maybe you just don't know what a real fight is." Rogue returned, her potty mouth reacting before her brain thought it through.

Kate glared. "My uniform. Now."

Rogue tossed her the purple pack of clothing. "Here. It's itchy."

Kate rolled her eyes and turned to Kitty. "Thanks for coming tonight, and thanks for warning me about S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Thanks," Kitty replied. "But Rogue was the one who risked getting caught for you."

"One good deed doesn't erase what you did to me and my mother." Kate said lowly, glaring at Rogue.

The red-head nodded. "I understand."

"No, Rogue! Kate! Apologize!"

"No, Kitty," Rogue responded. "She doesn't have to."

"Yo, Kate!" America exclaimed. "That new drug we've been tracking? A wall-street broker just arranged a meeting with some thugs to buy some. Get dressed."

"Sorry, Kitty, but it seems I'm late for a business meeting."

Kitty smiled. "Good night, Kate Bishop."

"See you around, Kitty Pryde."

Kitty and Rogue left.

"You know, you could've been nicer." America said, turning in her chair. Kate didn't see her eyes on her bare back.

"Would you be nice to the man who killed your family?"

"That's different!" America exclaimed.

"What if it isn't?" Kate asked, pulling the uniform top over her head.  
>-<p>

"You know, I think there was something off tonight." Kitty said as she and Rogue crossed the street to Rogue's car.

Rogue raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Yeah," Kitty replied. "That assassin…"

Rogue stumbled a little, caught off-guard. "What about 'er?"

"I don't know. For some reason, she seemed familiar." Kitty replied, distantly.

Rogue paused. She had to be very careful here. "Like…an old enemy?"

"No, not like that…" Kitty replied. She thought for a minute as she and Rogue climbed into the car. "Ah well, it's not important."

Rogue nodded and cranked the car. Kitty sighed and leaned her seat back. "Well, I'll text Fury from the Dark Room tonight and tell him he can rest assured Kate Bishop is not the Knightress."

Rogue nodded. She wanted to talk more with Kitty, but her words were stuck in her throat. She was terrified if she opened her mouth again, secrets would spew forth.  
>-<p>

"What the hell?" Jubilee exclaimed, throwing a punch at her now ex-boyfriend. Roberto dodged to the side and raised his hands in surrender.

"Just listen, Jubes!"

"Just listen?" she exclaimed. "Just listen?" Jubilee shot a wave of light energy at Roberto and hit him dead in the stomach, throwing him across the room. She stared at her hands in amazement, then turned back to Roberto, determined to test the limits of her newfound power.

"Whoa! Whoa!" Roberto exclaimed. "Just hold on!"

Jubilee swung wildly at his face, charging her swings with her new power. Roberto was having trouble avoiding his ex-girlfriend's violent and erratic swings. She may have been angry and not thinking straight, but she was still dangerous.

"What's going on?" Bobby asked, walking up and glancing in the Danger Room.

"Jubes and Roberto are breaking up." Lorna replied.

"She catch him cheating?" Bobby asked.

"Takes one to know one." Amara scowled. Bobby glared at her.

"No, he broke up with her. At least, that's what I can gather." Lorna replied. "We really shouldn't be watching…"

"Ah, screw it." Bobby replied, leaning forward. "Anyone wanna place bets?"

Lyla tossed a ten to Bobby. "Ten on Jubes."

"Shouldn't gamble." Amara replied, but tossed in a ten and repeated what Lyla said.

Lorna watched carefully.

"What? Not going to bet, _Esmeralda_?" Bobby asked teasingly.

"Five bucks says someone comes in and breaks it up in the next thirty seconds."

"Yeah right!" Amara exclaimed. Lyla agreed. Bobby raised an eyebrow at Lorna. She knew something.

"Twenty to agree with Lorna." He said.

At that precise moment, Wolverine and Storm darted into the Danger Room and broke up the fight. Most of the X-Men booed. Lorna turned around with a smirk. "Pay the lady!"  
>-<p>

Rogue pulled up to the gate and waited for the camera to scan her face. The gates swung open and the two girls drove into the Xavier Institute.

"Is this what you were sulky about in the car, Rogue?" Kitty asked suddenly. The two girls hadn't spoken a word on the way home, and Kitty had been building up the nerve to ask.

Rogue didn't reply for a moment. She just sat there, driving slowly towards the mansion. "No," she replied. "No, that ain't it."

Kitty looked at her softly, compassionately. "Then what is it?"

Rogue wanted so much to explain everything to Kitty right then and there. S.H.I.E.L.D., McKenna, Kate, Laura, all of it. There was so much to explain, so little time, and both Fury and McKenna would be pissed with her, so Rogue kept quiet.

"It's nothin'." She whispered.

Before Kitty could respond, the door to the garage opened up and Rogue drove her car inside, the door closing behind them. Rogue just sat, her hands on the steering wheel for a moment. After two minutes of sitting in silence, she finally turned to Kitty. "There is so much I want to tell you, and most of it I can't. I promise I will be as truthful as I can with you, Kitty, but you have to trust that everything I do is for your safety and the safety of everyone here."

Kitty stared at her as if she had grown a third eyeball. What the hell was she talking about?

Kitty nodded. "Yeah, sure."  
>-<p>

Laura had thrown away the cotton candy on the way home, washed her hands, and cleaned up quickly. Amara always let Laura clean up first because she knew Laura liked quick, cold showers and was very strict. Laura exited the bathroom in a bath-robe. She had a hand-towel in her hand, drying her hair with that. Amara glanced up at her from behind the magazine she was reading, and hopped off of her bed, grabbing a towel and a pair of clothes on her way to the bathroom.

"Nice bear, by the way." She called as she passed Laura on the way to the bathroom. "Where'd you get it?"

Laura froze up for a moment before calmly and coolly replying "Carnival Game."

Amara nodded and closed the bathroom door behind her. Laura walked over to her bed and got dressed quickly, sliding on a pair of panties and green close-cropped shorts. As she pulled the black tank-top over her head she wondered what Julian was wearing tonight. She had no idea why the idea popped in her head, but it did. She imagined him taking his shirt off…he had to look spectacular under-neath…

Laura shook her head. She shouldn't think about that right now. It was time for sleep.

Sleep.

Laura had been rubbing the teddy bear while thinking of Julian. She looked at it and took a deep sniff. Through all of the other smells, the cotton, the plastic, the chemicals, and even herself, she could still smell him. He smelled sweet, like candy, sweat, and a little bit of soap.

Laura placed the bear on the ground partially under her bed. She knew when she went to sleep she would dream. She knew when she dreamed she would wake up with her claws out. She didn't want to shred Jullian's teddy bear.

The number Julian had written on her hand had washed off, but Laura had already memorized it. She would have to stop by a store on the way to school tomorrow and pick up a cell-phone.

Laura slid her legs beneath the blankets, flicked off her light, and lay her head on her soft pillow. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.  
>-<p>

_She wasn't in the maze anymore. She had already proven she was a killer, that she could handle herself. Several more sessions like the previous one and she was no longer weak. Now she was moving to stealth tactics. Several HYDRA soldiers were on break in the bio-room. She had been shown three to kill. She had to do it without anyone noticing. Failure meant punishment._

_Since the Weapon X facility was located underground, HYDRA soldiers couldn't go above ground to relax, so there were large rooms with plants and trees spotted throughout the facility for the soldiers to take breaks. The light on the ceiling even imitated the sun's position at that time during the day._

_X-23 crawled through the trees. The leaves barely whispered as she slid from limb to limb like a snake, silent as a cat, dangerous as Damocles' sword._

_The assassin spotted her first target. He was sitting on a bench in the corner reading a newspaper. He was the first HYDRA agent X-23 had seen without his mask on. He had short brown hair and brown eyes. He had a square jaw and a sharp nose. He seemed very interested in one article, scanning it with his eyes acutely. Laura moved above him and glanced around. No one was looking, no one was nearby. This would be easy…_

"Laura!"

The clone woke up suddenly, feeling someone shaking her. Her claws were out.

"Whoa! It's just me!" Amara exclaimed.

"What?" Laura asked. "What is it?"

"Easy there, tiger." Amara replied. Her face was grim, even if she was trying to crack jokes with the clone. "The Professor's called us all downstairs. Priority One. Didn't you hear the telepathic message?"

Laura touched her head. "No…no I did not."

"Well get dressed and come on."  
>-<p>

The room was dark, the only light coming from the moon shining through the thin white curtains hanging over the windows looking out into the backyard of the Xavier Institute. The windows were closed, but a cool breeze still washed over the two lovers. The sheets were tangled through legs and bodies, Rahne held close to Roberto with his strong arm.

'_Everyone downstairs now.'_ Charles ordered telepathically. The telepathic message woke everyone. Rahne blinked sleepily. Charles sent the message a second time and the two moved, dressing quickly. Rahne slid on her jeans and tee again. Roberto slid on boxers, a tee-shirt, and some shorts. He opened the door for Rahne, still trying to wake himself up. The couple joined the others zombie-walking down the stairs to the main living room where Charles sat, still in his turtle-neck and sports coat.

"Walk of shame." Amara snickered quietly to those around her. Lyla snickered as well and Lorna raised an eyebrow. Laura seemed interested in something going on inside of that strange little head of hers.

"What'd you call us down here for, Prof.?" Bobby asked, rubbing his eyes. "If this is an emergency Danger Room session, I'm leaving first thing in the morning."

"No, Bobby, I'm afraid that this is not a drill." Charles said. "Is everyone here?"

Distant confirmations came from sleepy mouths.

"Good. I've been doing some looking over our computer systems the last two weeks. Someone has been sending encrypted messages through Cerebro."

That woke everyone up.

"The culprit was very good, and I just discovered where the transmission was going tonight:"

"Genosha"

Shock rippled through the X-Men.

"Wait, Professor, what are you saying?" Amara asked.

"I'm saying, my dear X-Men." Charles replied gravely. "We have a traitor among us."  
>-<p>

-  
><strong>X-Men: Standing Guard will Return Shortly<br>**-  
><strong>The new series <strong>_**Bishop**_ **picks up right after **_**X-Men **_**leaves off! The pilot is live now, go check it out!  
>-<strong>


	5. S2E02 Young Avenger Epilogue

"What have you to report, Agent Rogue?" Director Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. asked.

"Kitty Pryde was lying when she said she didn' know the identity of Knightress."

"It's Kate Bishop?"

"Yessir." Rogue confirmed.

Fury nodded. "Thank you, Agent."

"One other thing, D'rector." Rogue said.

"Yes, Agent Rogue?" Fury asked.

Rogue took a deep breath. She'd never asked this before. "I want t' bring Kitty into the fold."

Fury paused. "Kitty Pryde?"

"Yessir."

Another long pause, then "no."

"No?" Rogue asked.

"No, Agent Rogue."

"I trust 'er!" Rogue exclaimed. "I trust 'er with m' life!"

"Trusting someone with your life, and trusting someone with your secrets is very different, Agent Rogue." Fury said. "Besides, you'd have to bring up her sister to explain everything and I doubt very much McKenna will like that."

A pause.

"What if I could get McKenna to tell her sister she's alive?"

A third pause, this one much shorter.

"Get the Prydes together again and we'll talk about it." Fury replied. "Good night, Agent Rogue."


	6. Thank You & Exclusive Clip

**Thank you all so much for your support on this series! In case you missed it, on Sunday we blew our previous views-in-a-single-day record of 144 out of the water and got almost 300! Also, we're at 1,500 views for the whole month A screenshot of the achievement is on my Twitter. To thank you all so much for your support, here's an exclusive clip from a future episode of ****_X-Men: Standing Guard_****.**

Jullian was waiting by the door of the theater. He looked cold, Laura thought. He was wearing a black shirt and a school jacket, black with green sleeves. His dark jeans clung to his frame. His messy black hair blew in the wind. He looked strong, yet compassionate.

Laura was dressed in black leather pants, insulated and armored, she had stolen them from her uniform and simply removed the orange stripes. She had on a yellow turtleneck and her usual black motorcycle jacket. She had combed and straightened her hair as well as borrowed some of Amara's makeup, which had been rather difficult because the teen had been practically watching her every move.

The snow was starting to fall and the wind blew it into Laura's and Jullian's faces. She smiled when she saw him and darted over, hugging him tightly. He smiled and put a gloved hand on her cheek, pressing his lips to hers. Laura wrapped her arms around his neck and twisted her fingers into his hair. He rested his hands on her lower back, pushing her stomach into his. She smiled and pulled away.

"I can see you really meant what you said." She whispered softly, snow falling into her hair.

Jullian grinned. "Of course I did." He kissed her again.

Laura opened her mouth to say something, but instead, snowflakes flew inside and she gagged on the intake of powdery ice. Jullian laughed. "They're snowflakes, silly! Catch one on your tongue!"

Laura looked at him curiously, but stuck out her tongue and caught one. It was cold, and yet somehow sweet. She looked at him with a new enthusiasm in her eyes and Jullian laughed.

"Alright, it's cold. Let's go inside." He said. He offered her his arm and Laura slid hers into his. Jullian led her inside the theater.  
>-<p>

-  
><strong>X-Men: Standing Guard<br>New Episode October 4th  
><strong>-


	7. Episode 3 Teaser

"…_United States government has declared the bombing, which cost an estimated two hundred and fifty people their lives a terrorist attack by mutant terrorist Erik Lenscherr, otherwise known as Magneto. Magneto made headlines last year after the Christmas Rally Massacre in which fifty-three people died. Many have been upset that the mutant terrorist was allowed to return to his old home despite the terror he caused. Just two weeks ago Magneto made news again by breaking the Human-Mutant treaty. President Kelly immediately reactivated the United States Sentinel Program…"_  
>-<p>

-  
><strong>New Threat<strong>  
>-<p>

The tunnel erupted into flames. The flames encircled the Morlocks, but did not burn them. Red, yellow, and orange swirled about them, creating a vortex with them in the middle. Then it stopped. All of the flames were sucked to one side of the room and formed a pillar, which slowly solidified into a person. They were wearing a red and yellow body suit, flowing with their curves. They were tall. Their long hair was on fire, floating gently in the air. What appeared to be a yellow-orange hood made of individual bird feathers had sloped down and covered their face., leaving only their nose and mouth visible. Unseen eyes blinked at them. Flames trickled up their arms.

There was complete silence for a moment in the sewer drain as the Morlocks took in their fearsome invader. Finally Calypso spoke boldly, taking a step forward and brandishing a rifle.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"I am the Phoenix." The hellish voice replied back, it's soulless echo surrounding the Morlocks.  
>-<p>

-  
><strong>Shocking Turn<strong>  
>-<p>

"What about the bomb?"

"It's M'kraan." The blonde woman said, her head in her hand.

"McRain?" Rogue asked.

"M'kraan." She corrected. "They were a dangerous alien race that invented life forms."

"Invented life forms?" Rogue snorted. "That's impossible."

"Well they did." The blonde replied. "One of the creatures they created was the Dark Phoenix Force."

"The what?" Rogue asked.

"The Dark Phoenix Force." The blonde repeated. "A cosmic entity that requires a host to exercise its power. It has the ability to turn anything, organic or inorganic, to cosmic dust, a substance less than the atom. It also has extreme telepathy and telekinesis powers."

Rogue glanced at Jean.

"I know you don't like me, Rogue," Jean said. "But I am not a cosmic entity. Besides, I don't turn people to dust."

"It appears in the image of a flaming Phoenix most often."

"Guess what was on the security cameras right before they fried?" Scott asked.

"Flame."

"Burnt the guards…to cosmic dust." She whispered. "After 30,000 years, the Phoenix is here on Earth and wreaking havoc. Why is it targeting Worthington Labs though?"  
>-<p>

-  
><strong>Avenger Assembles<strong>  
>-<p>

The two charged at each other, Ms. Marvel swinging. The red-haired girl slid between her legs and placed a firm kick to the base of her spine. Ms. Marvel stumbled and caught her punch. The girl intertwined her leg with Ms. Marvel's and twisted, causing the blonde to fall down. She slammed her foot down at Ms. Marvel's stomach, but the Avenger rolled to the side and stood up, swinging again. The red-head dodged her punches, caught some, and ducked others.

The girl flipped backwards, grabbed a suspension cord, and launched herself at Marvel. Ms. Marvel caught the girl in mid-air and head-butted her. She stumbled back, clutching her head. _That_ was not what she was expecting. She glanced up and nearly lost her head to a blow from the Avenger. The red-haired girl punched Ms. Marvel in the stomach over and over, making the blonde double over. Ms. Marvel may be invulnerable, but she could still feel the red head's powerful punches. She wrapped her arm around the Avenger's neck and flipped her over onto her back, the woman placing her boot at Ms. Marvel's throat.

"It's over!"

"Like hell." Marvel replied, grabbing her leg and throwing her to the ground.  
>-<p>

-  
><strong>X-Men: Standing Guard<strong>  
><strong>Season 2 "Dark Secrets"<strong>  
><strong>Episode Three<strong> "**The Plot Thickens**"  
><strong>Saturday, October 4th<strong>  
>-<p>

"Just talk to her, okay? She won't talk to anyone else."

Rogue nodded faintly, seeming to stare into the distance. Amara leapt, reaching for the orange soda, but before her hand had crossed half the distance, it was already at Rogue's lips. Rogue swallowed the entirety of the drink, let out a loud belch, and sighed contentedly.

"Ha ha!" she exclaimed triumphantly, throwing the bottle across the room and into the garbage can.


	8. Technical Difficulties

PLEASE NOTICE: I am having severe technical difficulties which prevent me from editing or uploading documents. I apologize for this inconvenience, and I am working as quickly as possible to get everything working again. Until then, all content is on hiatus. Follow me on Twitter for details.


	9. UPDATE & Bishop S1E02 Filler

**Hey everyone! So in case you aren't following my twitter (which I assume you aren't,) here's the latest on the technical difficulties. On Saturday, my computer crashed. I was just browsing the internet when it died. I tried resuscitating, but there was nothing I could do. It blackscreened that afternoon. Up until even today, I am trying anything I can to get it back up and operational, but have been forced to move to a secondary (crappier) computer to continue writing and publishing. I can confirm that ****_X-Men: Standing Guard_**** will continue on schedule for the time being. I have all the way halfway through Episode Seven complete, and Episode Seven isn't being released until January, so you're fine for content. However, I will not be publishing anything extra (unless something special happens) because I am focusing on getting my computer to work again. Thank you.**

**Anyway, I promised some time ago that despite the fact ****_Bishop_**** never got to see the light of day, I would be publishing short clips to keep you filled in on the story so you know what is going on. Here is one of those clips! Hope you enjoy!  
><strong>**-**

**-  
><strong>Kate parked in the Warehouse and pulled off her helmet.

"Stupid fucking meta-humans."

"Spiderman again?" America asked with a sigh, turning to the purple-clad archer.

"Yeah." Kate sighed, trying to pull some webbing out of her hair. "You are dressed up."

America was. She was wearing tight black pants and a loose gold sequin shirt. She had on dark red lipstick, and her dark hair was done up in curls.

"Yeah, I had a date, remember oh ye social bug?" America asked.

"You have fun?" Kate asked with a smile.

"Yeah." America replied, moving to turn back towards the computer.

"Is she pretty?" Kate asked.

America slammed her foot into the desk and cursed. She wheeled slowly back around to face Kate. "What?"

"Is she pretty?" Kate repeated.

America squinted her eyes at Kate, studying her.

"You're wearing dark red lipstick, yet the purple is smudged all over your face, despite your hurried attempts to clean it off." Kate said. "That's the first clue."

"Could've been a guy." America protested, sticking her bottom lip out.

"Only gay guys wear lipstick." Kate said, putting her bow in her glass case. "Like Eli."

"That's not lipstick." Eli said. "It's chapstick 'cause it's fucking October."

"Eavesdropping?" Kate asked.

"Working out." Eli replied, wiping the sweat off of his head with the back of his hand.

"Uh-huh." Kate muttered, turning and hanging her quiver on the wall as well.

"Besides, I'm not gay." Eli said.

"Uh-huh." Kate replied with a smirk. She could tell she was pissing the guy off.

"I'm not." Eli protested.

"Not even a little?" Kate teased.

Eli smirked and folded his arms over his chest. "Why, Kate? Does the thought of me with another guy turn you on?"

Kate stumbled and ran right into a pillar. America, who had been snickering before, burst out into a full blown laugh, stomping the floor with her heel and clutching her stomach.

"Oh my God!" she exclaimed. "You-You-You walked right into that one. _Literally!_" Then she burst into a fresh batch of laughter.

"Hilarious." Kate muttered, standing up.

"What about you, Kate?" Eli asked. "Gay?"

"Hell no." Kate replied, waving a hand. She turned to America who was getting over her laughter. "No offense."

"Too bad." America smirked. "I'd do you."

Kate laughed. "Don't tell me that's why you've been following me around this whole time."

America fell silent and Kate stopped.

"Oh-my-God-it-is!" she exclaimed. "You're hot for me!"

"I-I wouldn't put it that way!" America stammered.

"No, it's fine!" Kate said. "Just-why didn't you ever say anything?"

"That's a great way to end a friendship!" America exclaimed. "Hey, you realize I'm gay and I'm only your friend 'cause I wanna nail you."

Silence.

"_That-that _ was the wrong way to put it." Kate said.

The three stood for a moment more in silence before realizing how hilarious this whole situation was and bursting out laughing.  
>-<p>

**-  
><strong>**I hope you enjoyed this clip! Check back in two weeks for another, and don't forget to check out the biggest episode of _X-Men: Standing Guard_ yet THIS SATURDAY!**


	10. S2E03 The Plot Thickens

**WARNING: The following episode contains a scene of mature sexual nature. Reader's Discretion Advised.**  
><strong>-<strong>

**AN: The second episode in a row with a huge cliffhanger and the first in a two-part special game-changing event! Last week we blew our viewings in a single day record out of the water! In case you missed it, our previous record was 144, our new record is 278. A picture can be seen on Twitter. Thank you all so much for your support on this series, it is the only things stronger than fear…erm…only thing that keeps me writing. :P**  
><strong>Anyway, first of the norm of the season. Get ready for some epic plot twists, new characters, and explosions! Also, this episode introduces the main villain of the season. If you watched Twitter, you'd know who that is. <strong>  
><strong>Anyway, keep up the viewings and please FavFollow and Review! It's the only way to know the series is being appreciated. Now, the plot thickens.**  
><strong>-<strong>

-  
>The Morlocks lived in the sewers. They had blocked off the streams of waste and debris, re-routing them to other parts of the city. It had taken some time, but they had finally cleared out a central drain and formed a base within. It still stunk like burnt rubber, but at least it was safe for them to sleep here.<p>

The Morlocks were a group of mutants who couldn't live in the real world. Most of them had disfigured body-parts, changed skin-colors, or their mutations were so uncontrollable they couldn't trust themselves in the world above.

The leader of the Morlocks was Calipso, a one-eyed masculine looking woman who favored guns. Her left-handed lieutenant was Caliban, a quiet mutant with the ability to seek other mutants out and discover malicious intent. He looked like a pale zombie, his soulless eyes peering out and seeming to read one's very soul.

The Morlocks numbered almost fifty. They were split between their various bases under New York and New Jersey. Only a dozen or so mutants were in the sewer base with Calypso at the moment, most asleep or playing odd games like checkers and cards.

Fast footsteps in sewer water alerted the mutants to the approach of someone. A mutant with an inflated head and one arm shorter than her other, stumbled out of the tunnel.

"Incoming! Incoming!" she yelled, stumbling towards the middle of the sewer drain.

Somewhere in the distance, a roar was heard. At first it was quiet, like a far away train. Then as it got closer, it got louder, sounding like a twister, a herd of stampeding beasts, an unstoppable roar and crackle that seemed to surround the Morlocks. They were all awake by now, standing on guard, their various mutations activating.

The tunnel the girl had run from erupted into flames. The flames encircled the Morlocks, but did not burn them. Red, yellow, and orange swirled about them, creating a vortex with them in the middle. Then it stopped. All of the flames were sucked to one side of the room and formed a pillar, which slowly solidified into a person. They were wearing a red and yellow body suit, flowing with their curves. They were tall. Their long hair was on fire, floating gently in the air. What appeared to be a yellow-orange hood made of individual bird feathers had sloped down and covered their face., leaving only their nose and mouth visible. Unseen eyes blinked at them. Flames trickled up their arms.

There was complete silence for a moment in the sewer drain as the Morlocks took in their fearsome invader. Finally Calypso spoke boldly, taking a step forward and brandishing a rifle.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"I am the Phoenix." The hellish voice replied back, it's soulless echo surrounding the Morlocks.

"Never heard of you." Calypso returned.

"By design." The Phoenix replied.

"What are you doing here?" Calypso demanded.

"I am here to ask for your assistance in a task I have set." The Phoenix replied.

"What _task_?"

"I am going to plant a bomb inside Worthington Labs and destroy the Cure that Mr. Worthington is working on."

"The Cure isn't real." Calyspo retorted.

"It is, mutants." Phoenix replied. "And it is ready for distribution."

Shock rippled through the Morlocks.

"So? Will you help me destroy it or stand by idly while Worthington eradicates your kind."

Calypso glanced at Caliban and the rest of the Morlocks.  
>-<p>

The doors to Worthington Labs blew inwards, pillars of flames creating a series of holes through the guards chests, dropping them all to the ground lifeless and smoking. Phoenix obliterated the security systems and the Morlocks walked in, Phoenix levitating behind them. Two guards tried to open fire on the mutants, but Phoenix turned them to nothing, literally disassembling their molecules without lifting a finger.

The Morlocks made their way to an elevator, killing everyone inside and taking it to the lower levels.

The alarms in the labs had been triggered by now. Nathaniel Essex, a short, cunning man with blonde hair and dark eyes was running frantically, sealing doors behind him. He had the Cure in his arms. His plan was to lock himself in the safe room until help arrived. The Cure was ready, yes, but Essex wasn't sure he could get it in one of the mutants, much less the entire group!

There were now seven solid steel doors behind him. He stood gasping, leaning against the clean white walls of the room. One boom, two, three…the booms got closer each time. On the seventh, a loud explosion sounded and the door turned to shrapnel, impaling itself in his skin. Essex held up his arm to shield his face. When he lowered it, he watched, dazed from the explosion, as if in another person's body, as the Morlocks took the Cure from his arms and smashed it. His life's work was gone. The one-eyed girl placed something next to his body. It was gray, with several cylinders and a large white box on top. He didn't realize what it was until he heard a faint beeping and watched the time slowly tick down from five minutes.

The one-eyed girl grabbed a handcuff and chained him to the leg of a table. He was dazed, trapped, and a bomb was about to go off next to him. He watched as the Morlocks departed, their mysterious fiery friend watching from the doorway.

"H-Help!" he gasped out. His lung must have been collapsed, maybe a fractured rib or two. Essex took three whole minutes to regain control over his body and manage to move an inch. He stumbled away from the bomb, tilting the thin, metallic table over to shield him. He glanced at the timer.

Ninety seconds. He struggled frantically with the handcuff. He couldn't get free!

Sixty seconds. Essex spotted a glass cylinder and pulled it down, smashing it on the floor. He grabbed the thinnest glass shard he saw and jammed it into the lock of the handcuff. Maybe if he was lucky…

Thirty seconds. Essex dug frantically at the handcuff. He could try to haul himself and the table towards the door, but he doubted he'd make it halfway across the room.

Fifteen seconds. In desperation and finally giving up, Essex yelled. The handcuffed shattered. He stared at it dumbfoundedly. He had unlocked it! He was a mutant!

Five seconds. Nathaniel ran for the door, but it was too late. The lab exploded behind him, throwing him down the long, circular hallway of shattered doors and dead bodies. He was tossed around like a ping-pong ball. He yelled as heat seared his skin off and melted his features together.

Outside, fire erupted from every window in the building, then the entire glass-and-steel structure collapsed, creating havoc and debris, raining down fire and hell on New York City.

Phoenix smiled at her work and disappeared into the night, nothing but a flaming demon.  
>-<p>

-  
><strong>X-Men: Standing Guard<strong>  
><strong>Season 2 Episode Three<strong>  
>"<strong>The Plot Thickens"<strong>  
>-<p>

Charles and Cassidy rolled out of the Infirmary. Cassidy rubbed her eyes sleepily.

"Oh, come here you." Rogue exclaimed, reaching down and picking up the young girl, cradling the younger in her arms.

"She's clean, just as I thought." Charles replied. "I just needed to check and make sure."

Rogue nodded. Charles had been performing psychiatric evaluations throughout the week on every X-Men member. No one had turned up as traitor. Cassidy had been the final mutant to be evaluated. When Charles performed an evaluation of this size, he put the subject to sleep first. Activities around the Xavier Institute had come to a grinding halt in light of the shocking news one of them was a traitor. At first, suspicion had been thrown around rather harshly. The main target of the underhanded comments was Lorna. Magneto was her father after all, why wouldn't she be talking to him? They had continued for a short time even after Lorna had been cleared by Charles. Lorna had invited all of her accusers to the Danger Room and locked them inside for three hours. When they emerged, all noises about her turning traitor had faded.

Suspicion had been tossed everywhere. Laura was a clone, maybe she was a sleeper agent. Rogue was a former spy (the X-Men were aware of her past with the Sentinel Project, and even if her involvement was forced, she had still been involved). Amara was a hot-head. Bobby had a heart as cold as ice and had been acting suspiciously recently. Only the staff had not been vetted for possible leaks. Charles trusted every member of his staff with his life. The only member of the staff who had been evaluated was Rogue, simply because of the rumors and her past.

Cassidy pushed her rusty hair covered head into Rogue's chest and yawned sleepily. Rogue mouthed something along the lines of taking Cassidy up to bed. Charles nodded with a smile, but inside he was concerned. This next step was very dangerous…

Storm's voice over the intercom system called Professor Xavier down to the Dark Room. Charles rolled off.

As Rogue walked upstairs, Amara and Laura darted past.

"Whoa! No running!" Rogue whisper-scolded.

"Did you not hear the news?" Laura asked.

"What?" Rogue asked.

"Worthington Labs was completely destroyed! The government is calling the attack a terrorist attack and have blamed Magneto!"

Rogue's eyes widened.  
>-<p>

Jean laughed and sat up, giggling. The red-head had been enjoying her honeymoon with Scott so far. Several things had popped up on the news, but for the most part, the Bahama-bound couple had avoided news networks.

The red-head tugged the strap of her white tank-top back up on her shoulder.

"Order some room service, you." She giggled. "I'll find a movie channel."

Scott reached for the phone and Jean grabbed the remote, turning the television on. The first thing she saw was a news broadcast, but she switched the channel. Another news broadcast. She kept flipping channels. It was the news on all of them.

"Scott, baby, I think something's wrong." Jean said, stopping on one channel.

"What happened?" Scott asked, sitting up. "Fire?"

"No, it wouldn't be on every channel…" Jean muttered. "I-I think it was a bomb."

"…_United States government has declared the bombing, which cost an estimated two hundred and fifty people their lives a terrorist attack by mutant terrorist Erik Lenscherr, otherwise known as Magneto."_

"Get packed." Scott said. "We have to go back."

"Yeah," Jean replied distantly, leaving the television on.

"_Magneto made headlines last year after the Christmas Rally Massacre in which fifty-three people died. Many have been upset that the mutant terrorist was allowed to return to his old home despite the terror he caused. Just two weeks ago Magneto made news again by breaking the Human-Mutant treaty. President Kelly immediately reactivated the United States Sentinel Program…"_  
><em>-<em>

"Have you found anymore bodies?" Worthington asked, desperately, clutching a rag to his face as he surveyed the smoldering wreckage of his office building.

"Twelve, sir." The officer replied.

"What about our lower levels? Where they harmed in the blast?"

"The blast _came_ from the lower levels." The officer replied.

Worthington stared in horror. His cure…!

"Move! Move! We've got a breather!"

A pale skinned, scarred man was wheeled out of the building. His hair had been burnt completely off. Muscles and scar tissue covered almost the entirety of his body. His skin had melted upon itself, re-shaping his face. An oxygen mask covered his face, but Worthington could have sworn he recognized him.

"Dr. Essex!" he exclaimed, running forward.

"Back, sir!" one officer exclaimed, holding the millionaire back. "He was found near the safe room. He's lucky to be alive. That blast should have killed him…"

Worthington watched as Essex was loaded into an ambulance and driven off. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

"Jerry? Yes? I want my best doctors on a John Doe heading to—"  
>-<p>

Amara yawned and pushed open the door to the bedroom she shared with Laura. The now-blonde had been studying at the library with some friends for a calculus test the next day. She tossed her books down rather noisily and glanced over to see if she had woken Laura up when she saw her.

The room had been dark, which was why Amara hadn't noticed Laura's twitching before. The dark-haired girl was rolling in her bed, her feet kicking the covers off of her slim and sweaty body. Her eyes were closed tightly. She swung with her fist, but no claws.

"Laura!" Amara whispered, approaching the clone. Laura continued to struggle in her sleep.

"Laura!" Amara repeated. "It's a dream! Wake up!"

Amara reached down and placed a hand on Laura's shoulder. The clone opened her eyes, gasped, extended her claws, and swiped at Amara, cutting her arm.

"God _damn_!" Amara exclaimed, hopping up and clutching the wound. "Damn! Fuck! Shit! What the hell?!"

Laura's eyes widened when she saw what she had done. She stumbled out of bed towards Amara.

"I am so sorry!" she exclaimed. "I did not mean to cut you!"

"Sure as hell feels like it." Amara gritted. "What the hell?"

Laura remained silent.

"Were you having a nightmare?" Amara asked, covering her arm in flames and cauterizing the wound. She gestured for Laura to follow her to the bathroom. The clone did as the clone was told.

"Laura," Amara said, her voice rising in that pitch Laura had learned meant "answer me."

"Yes." She finally whispered.

Amara sighed and wet a washcloth with warm water. "Are you alright?"

"Am I alright?" Laura exclaimed. "You are the one I harmed!"

"Yeesh, it's a cut." Amara replied, dabbing the washcloth around the burnt wound, still wincing as she wiped blood off. "Don't over react."

Laura remained quiet, watching Amara.

"Laura, are you alright?" Amara asked again, staring at the clone's reflection in the mirror.

"They are only dreams." Laura whispered.

"Doesn't sound like it." Amara replied.

"Dreams come from your brain, and are products of your imagination or memory cells. Thus they are not real." Laura recited.

"You memorized that." Amara noted.

"I memorized many things when—ah!"

"What?" Amara asked.

"A headache." Laura replied. She wondered…what was she about to say? What _had_ she said?

Amara tossed the washcloth in the dirty-clothes hamper and pulled out a bandage, pasting it over the wound. She turned and sat on the sink, staring at Laura.

"What are they about?" she asked.

Laura remained quiet.

"Laura, what were the dreams about?"

"I do not wish to discuss them." Laura replied quietly.

"I'm your best friend, Laura, you can tell me anything. You know that, right?"

Laura nodded gently.

Amara reached out and grabbed the clone's hand, placing it between hers. "Then tell me." She whispered.

Laura took a shaky breath. "They are surpressed memories." She replied. "Memories I would rather not relive."

"From your days with HYDRA?" Amara asked.

HYDRA was always a touchy subject with Laura. She had been an assassin for a Nazi extremist group. It kind of ruined her childhood. She nodded quietly.

"Training missions." She whispered. "At first, I was the victim and they were the hunters." Laura stared a hole in the floor, wishing she could melt through it. "Then the roles were reversed." She added, almost inaudibly.

Amara nodded. "You said HYDRA wiped your mind after S.H.I.E.L.D. raided their facility?"

Laura nodded.

"Perhaps they didn't finish the job? You need to speak to the Prof about this."

"No!" Laura exclaimed.

"Laura…"

"No!" Laura replied. "I am not discussing this further with anyone except Rogue."

"Laura—"

"I will sleep on the couch tonight." Laura replied.

"Just like every night?" Amara called after the retreating figure. Laura stopped in the doorway.

"You noticed?"

"Of course I noticed!" Amara exclaimed, hopping down from the sink. "You don't think I heard you get up in the middle of the night and leave? You've been doing this for weeks!"

Laura stared at the floor.

"It obviously isn't working." Amara whispered.

"Well do you have a better idea?" Laura snapped at her. Amara was taken aback. Laura never snapped at anyone. The clone seemed to immediately regret her actions. She clutched her head and took a deep breath, looking upwards. A sign she needed to cry.

"Here," Amara said. "You sleep with me tonight."

"What?" Laura exclaimed. "No!"

"Just give it a try, Laura." Amara replied. "If it makes you feel any better, I'll stay awake and watch you. If you start to twitch, I'll wake you up."

Laura stared at her, but sighed and nodded.

"Good, go it in bed, and I'm going to change." Amara said, undoing the ponytail she had placed her curly blonde hair in. Laura nodded and departed. Amara slipped out of her jeans and un-did her bra, dropping it to the floor. She kicked the clothes towards the hamper and exited the bathroom, turning off the light. Laura was under the blankets, already asleep. Amara smiled and crawled in next to her, pulling a book out and lighting her finger with just a warm glow to read by.

Amara joined Laura in sleep within the half-hour.  
>-<p>

"Is this about the bombing, Professor?" Cassandra Cassidy asked.

"Yes, and I'll explain more once everyone is here." Xavier replied.

"Where are Kitty and Piotr?" Amara asked.

"Here!" Kitty exclaimed, phasing through the floor, hand-in-hand with Piotr.

"What took you guys so long?" Amara asked.

Kitty grinned. "We were answering an e-mail from Piotr's sister Illyana in Russia. She's in Kiev studying-"

"That's very nice, Kitty." Charles replied. "But I'm afraid we have more pressing issues."

"Oh, yeah, sure." Kitty replied.

Charles nodded at Storm and she pulled an image of the Worthington Labs bombing up on-screen.

"Early Wednesday morning, someone detonated a bomb inside Worthington Labs, killing most every employee there. The United States government has stated the attack was Magneto's doing, without any evidence."

"But it was Magneto, wasn't it professor?" Amara asked.

"No," Lyla replied. "This attack suffers from a lack of a speech."

"Correct." Charles agreed.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Amara gestured at Lyla. "Ms. Sherlock Holmes."

Lyla did a flamboyant bow and smiled.

"So if it wasn't Magneto, then who?" Laura asked.

"That's what we're going to investigate." Charles replied. "But due to the magnitude of this attack, S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers are pitching in to help with the investigation."

"The Avengers?!" Bobby exclaimed. "Awesome!"

"Sadly most of the Avengers are in Latveria dealing with an assassin."

Rogue snickered almost inaudibly.

"However, one remains in the States and she'll be helping hands-on in the investigation."

"She?" Bobby asked. "Is it Black Widow?"

"No, ice-dork!" Lorna replied, hitting him jokingly in the arm. "She rejoined S.H.I.E.L.D. Six months ago after the HYDRA incident!"

"Then who?"

"X-Men, please welcome the Avenger's newest member: Ms. Marvel!"

A path cleared from the Professor to the doorway. A woman walked in. She was tall, probably 5'10" and built beautifully. Her body curved in the perfect hour-glass shape. She had long, flowing blonde hair that was somewhere between curly and straight. Her eyes were covered by a slim, black domino mask, but Bobby could have sworn they were a crystalline blue.

Her costume was a black one-piece with a large yellow lightning bolt over her chest. She wore a red sash around her waist. Her forearm-length gloves had red highlights and the inside of her palm was red. Her thigh-high boots were black as well with red trim and yellow highlights. She walked with purpose and authority. Everyone simply stared as she walked up and stood next to Xavier.

"Rogue!" Amara called as the X-Men filed out of the Dark Room, leaving Xavier, Storm, and Ms. Marvel within.

"Yeah?" Rogue asked, turning to face Amara. The belle was dressed in a dark-green tee with a white long-sleeved shirt on underneath. She had on tight jeans and black combat boots. She had brown leather gloves on her hands and her hair was pulled back in a ponytail.

"Can I talk to you?" Amara asked. "Alone?"

Rogue nodded. "Sure..." Rogue wrapped a sleeved arm around Amara and led her to the empty kitchen. Rogue pulled out a chair for her and headed to the fridge, grabbing an orange-colored soda, popping the lid off with a hiss and taking a swallow. She sighed contentedly and wiped her mouth, sitting across from Amara.

"Last one."

The blonde was dressed in all white with brown boots, belt, and unbuttoned vest. Her hair curled around her shoulders. She stared at Rogue for a minute, trying to decide where to start.

"Spit it out." Rogue ordered after another portion of her drink disappeared.

"It's Laura." Amara spluttered.

Rogue, who had gone to take another sip from her drink, stopped and placed it down carefully on the table. It made an echoing 'clink' as heavy glass came into contact with dense wood.

"What about 'er?" Rogue asked.

"She's been having nightmares." Amara replied, eyeing Rogue's drink. Rogue's fingers seemed to tense up without moving.

"What kinda nightmares?" Rogue asked.

"Don't know." Amara replied, placing her hand casually on the table, glancing at Rogue's hand. "She'll only talk to you."

"How long have they been going on?" Rogue asked, not moving, but watching.

"Don't know for sure, but at least two weeks." Amara replied. A single drop of water slid down the bottle. Both girls watched it. "She cut me last night."

This took Rogue slightly off-guard and Amara considered making her move, but before she could decide, Rogue's attention was back. "She cut you?" she asked.

Amara nodded and pushed the sleeve of her shirt up, showing the bandaged cut. Coincidentally the wounded arm was the one on the table, poised to move for the drink. "Just talk to her, okay? She won't talk to anyone else."

Rogue nodded faintly, seeming to stare into the distance. Amara leapt, reaching for the orange soda, but before her hand had crossed half the distance, it was already at Rogue's lips. Rogue swallowed the entirety of the drink, let out a loud belch, and sighed contentedly.

"Ha ha!" she exclaimed triumphantly, throwing the bottle across the room and into the garbage can. With a more serious expression, she added "Yeah, I'll talk to her."  
>-<p>

Lorna sighed and wrinkled her nose as she exited the bathroom. Inspections of the Xavier Institute were pains in the asses, and they stunk, as Rogue would say, "t' high heav'n!"

Inspections were punishment for the X-Men, and someone was always in need of a punishment. For Lorna, she had been messing around with her powers and almost broken the X-Van in half. Rogue was livid she had to fix the car, but she was the only one other than Logan who knew how, and Logan was on a mission hunting down rogue HYDRA forces.

Lorna was almost done, thankfully. She had Cerebro, which no one was allowed in anyway without the Professor, the Infirmary, and the Dark Room. She sighed and pushed a strand of green hair out of her face, glancing at the hallway. Cerebro was at the end of the hallway, the Dark Room was past the Infirmary. She wasn't _supposed_ to inspect the Infirmary first, but what could it hurt?

Lorna was staring at the clipboard in her hand as she pushed the glass doors of the Infirmary open. Someone gasped inside and Lorna glanced up. Bobby was standing shirtless near one of the medical machines. He was facing her. He turned as quickly as he could, but Lorna saw something. The center of his chest was coated in ice, like he had stopped mid-way through transformation between flesh and ice. The circle was about a foot wide. Bobby turned quickly, tossing a shirt on. He seemed flushed and embarrassed. He darted towards the door as fast as he could, his eyes admiring the grout in the white tile floor. He muttered an "excuse me" and tried to brush past Lorna, but she blocked his way.

"Bobby!"

He glanced up at her, then looked off to the side.

"Bobby, are you okay?"

The Iceman ignored her, trying to push past. She stuck out her arm and blocked him.

"Move, Lorna." He ordered quietly.

Lorna had never heard him talk like that. It shocked her. He brushed past the green haired girl in the leather jacket and stalked off towards the elevator. Lorna stared after him in amazement.  
>-<p>

"Not, that I'm not glad to see you," Storm greeted, picking up the couple's bags at the front door of the Xavier Institute. "But what are you two doing here? You're supposed to be in the Bahamas for another month!"

"We saw the news report and came back." Scott replied, his red sunglasses gleaming in the sunlight.

"Which one?" Storm asked.

"The one about Worthington Labs." Jean replied. "What else did we miss?"

Storm nodded slowly. "Inside. This is going to be…difficult for you to hear."  
>-<p>

"So, let me get this straight:" Scott said. "Worthington Labs was developing a way to "cure" mutants, so Magneto went all kamikaze on them and blew up the office room, took over the island of Genosha and claimed it for mutant-kind, and Kelly reactivated the Sentinels. Then Tuesday, Worthington Labs blows up."

"That's not even the worst of it." Storm said.

Charles shifted in his chair uncomfortably. "Charles? What is it?"

"I'm afraid that Magneto's influence has had a grip on one of our own." Charles said, his hands folded underneath his chin. "It seems that one of the X-Men has been sending communications to Magneto."

"What, like a spy?" Scott asked.

Charles nodded. At the same time, Storm said: "Traitor."

"Storm—"

"I bet it's Rogue." Scott said.

"Scott!" Jean exclaimed, placing a hand on Scott's thigh.

"Well think about it! She's a former spy! No one can get close to her, she can steal memories from people without them knowing! She'd be perfect for Magneto to spy on. Besides, she and he were lovers once."

"Scott!" Charles exclaimed.

"What? Oh please, everyone knew! At least the older ones. Why do you think we treated Erik differently?"

Charles sighed. "Either way we've hit a dead end. I performed psychological evaluations on every member of the X-Men. Whoever this…spy is, they're very good, no one popped up the remotest chance of being a spy for Magneto." Charles was avoiding the word "traitor" as best he could, but everyone else was already thinking it.

"The news said Magneto bombed Worthington Labs." Jean said.

"Not true," a new voice came. Ms. Marvel walked in and glanced at Charles. "Charles, S.H.I.E.L.D. sent case notes about the bombing site over. We're ready to go over them."  
>-<p>

"I'm not seeing anything." Ms. Marvel finally sighed, tossing the packet of papers onto the table and leaning back in her chair, popping her joints.

"Yeah, same here." Jean replied, tossing a packet of papers on the table as well. Scott and Charles analyzed theirs for a minute more before joining Jean and Marvel in failure.

"Yo! Jean! Catch!" Rogue exclaimed, tossing a several cans of soda at the red-head. Jean let out a noise of surprise and caught all of the cans with her mind.

"Rogue!" she exclaimed, moving the sodas to each person's spot at the table. She wanted to scold the Southerner, but decided against it, settling for: "Shouldn't you be helping?"

"Already read all of 'em. Didn't see anything."

"When the hell did you get a chance to read them?" Scott demanded.

"Who the hell do you think gave 'em to Marvel?" Rogue asked, popping a brown bottle open and taking a gulp.

"Is that beer?" Marvel demanded.

"Ah, don't go all self-righteous on me." Rogue responded.

"I wasn't. I just was wondering why you get beer and we get sodas."

"Because that's Rogue's personal stash. We don't keep alcoholic drinks on-campus…" Charles said, directing a purposeful gaze at Rogue. "At least, we're not supposed to."

"Relax, I ain't handin' em out." Rogue replied.

Charles sighed and rolled his eyes.

"So did you find anything, Rogue?" Scott asked, popping his soda can open with a "spizz".

"Yep," Rogue responded.

"Then why were we going over them?" Scott demanded.

"'cause, it's better t' have multiple people lookin' over it, in case someone missed som'n'." Rogue replied. "I tell ya I got somethin', y'all wouldn't have looked near as hard."

Scott placed his hand on the paper roughly, sighing and looking into the distance.

"'sides, it's nice to see y'all sweatin'." Rogue grinned, taking another guzzle from her beer before setting it on the table with a 'clink'.

"So, don't keep us in suspense, what did you find?" Ms. Marvel asked. She had changed from her costume to civilian clothes. Secret Identities were common-knowledge between the X-Men and the Avengers. The blonde had let her hair down and was wearing jeans and a yellow shirt with a black leather jacket. Her real name was Carol Danvers. She had been a former Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. until an experiment went faulty and sent her to the home planet of the Kree. She came back with flight, super-powers, and extensive knowledge of the universe as well as near invulnerability.

"Bomb went off in what Worthin'ton called the "Safe Room". It's impenetrable."

"Well if it's impenetrable, how'd the bomb get in there? Inside job?" Scott asked.

"Titanic's unsinkable." Rogue responded dryly.

"So someone breached it." Jean asked.

"That's the strange thing. The doors were triple-reinforced. Worthin'ton spent a fortune on that safe-room. It's where he kept all his most secret projects, includin' the cure. There were seven doors to get in or outta the Safe Room. All seven were titanium reinforced with traces of vibranium and adamantium."

Low whistles. Both alloys were extremely rare, a quarter of a pound costing in the hundreds of millions for vibranium, and adamantium was nearly unmanipulatable.

"Pretty observant for a street-kid who was blackmailed into being a spy." Carol said, glancing at Rogue suspiciously.

"They don't just pick up the first homeless guy on the streets they see." Rogue responded.

Carol nodded, but continued watching her carefully.

"Here's the strange part: all the doors are gone."

"Gone?" Carol asked. "Like someone stole them?"

"Gone as in turned into dust." Rogue replied.

Eyes widened around the table. "Gone? What can do that?"

"Well I's hopin' you could answer that, Carol." Rogue replied.

Carol tilted her head, thinking. After a minute or so, she finally sighed. "Sorry, there's a few, but none that I can think would have a bone to pick with Worthington."

"Well perhaps it's time we took a closer look." Rogue said. "Field trip anyone?"

"What? Go to the crime scene?" Jean asked.

"Not embarrassed t' go in public, are we Jean?" Rogue teased.

"No! I don't see the point of it."

"Blast residue." Marvel read. "S.H.I.E.L.D. hasn't gotten that far yet."

"And who doesn't want t' be smarter'n S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Rogue asked.

"Well I'm still not going." Jean humphed.

"Fine. Marvel, Charles and I'll go, but we need a forensic person. Like a C.I."

"What about those two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents you took in back earlier this year, Charles?" Marvel asked. "Jubilee and Sunspot?"

"Sunspot, no," Rogue responded. "Jubes, yeah. But I've gotta warn ya. She's a little—"

"Doesn't matter so long as she does her job." Marvel said.  
>-<p>

"It's been a while." Jubilee warned as the Hellier Jet touched down in the street. "I might miss some stuff."

"Just do your best." Rogue replied, checking her phone and glancing nervously at Charles, who shook his head.

The boarding ramp lowered and the Avenger and X-Men departed. News cameras were flashing, and gravitated towards the new arrivals.

"This is so cool!" Jubilee whispered to Rogue. "I'm working with a fucking _Avenger_! How sick is that?"

Rogue could remember fighting the Avengers many times before, but kept quiet, replying with: "Pretty cool."

The four ignored the media and proceeded inside the ruins of Worthington Labs while S.H.I.E.L.D. and NYPD forces kept the bystanders back. Jubilee tripped and almost tumbled, had Rogue not caught the back of her trench-coat.

"Thanks," Jubilee gasped, straightening herself and her clothes. The Asian had a soft, round face. She kept her hair medium length and spiky. She preferred wearing a yellow trench-coat and a navy blue skin-tight suit with pink highlights. From what Rogue had read, she was a Californian native. Her parents disowned her after she went full-length "American" on them. She was recruited by S.H.I.E.L.D. much the same way Rogue was…

"Here," Marvel called. "This is where the bomb went off!"

"Y'think?" Rogue muttered.

The room was gone. Whatever had been in here, _whoever_, they were gone, less than dust now. Jubilee breathed in sharply.

"Holy shit."

"Can you collect anything?" Marvel asked.

"I can try. Rogue, help me." Jubilee responded, falling roughly to her knees and opening up her bag. Rogue squatted next to her.

"Charles, can I talk to you alone for a moment?" Marvel asked, pulling the wheel-chair bound man to the side. Rogue glanced at them, but returned to her work.

"Yes, Carol?" Charles asked.

"Fury told me about your mole problem." Carol said, getting straight to the point.

"Yes? What about it?" Charles asked.

"I think it's Rogue." Carol whispered.

Charles almost smiled.

"What?"

"Everyone keeps thinking it's Rogue." Charles responded. "I trust Rogue with my life, Carol, even more, I trust her with the lives of every member of the X-Men."

"Doesn't mean you aren't wrong. Look what happened with Erik." Carol responded.

"To prevent more salt from entering that wound," Charles said coldly. "I knew Erik all along, I just never wanted to admit it to myself. Rogue is different. Trust me, Carol."

"Found something!" Jubilee exclaimed. "Come look at this!"

Marvel and Charles rolled over to the crime scene where Jubilee was holding a canister. It was about the size of a soda can and was green with a strange yellow marking on it, like a bird.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. just finished analyzing the blast residue. I scanned the residue on the inside of this canister and it matches. Somehow, miraculously, this is a piece of the bomb, one we can trace." Jubilee grinned, showing all of her teeth.

Marvel took the canister and looked at it. The moment it touched her gloved hand, however, she shouted something in an alien language and dropped it, clenching her fingers like they had been burned.

"What?" Charles demanded.

"Not-Not here." Ms. Marvel stuttered out. "Back at the Mansion. I know who bombed this building."  
>-<p>

-  
><strong>Here's an exclusive look at next week's episode of <strong>_**Bishop**_**!**  
><strong>-<strong>

Chasing Spiderman

**This is the first of a special two-part game-changer! Keep an eye out for the next episode of **_**X-Men: Standing Guard**_**!**  
><strong>-<strong>  
><strong>The room Laura shared with Amara looked like one belonging to a person with dual personality disorder. On one half of the room was a luxurious set of furniture with soft, white fabric and rich, dark wood. The wall was covered in posters, the office space was messy and the laptop sitting there was covered in stickers and marker doodles. <strong>

On the other side of the room, there was hardly anything, the bare floors of the Xavier Institute and a simple wooden bed with white sheets sat on the floor. A single bookcase and night-stand sat near the bed. The workspace was a simple birch wood. Papers were arranged neatly on the desk, books stacked and shelved carefully. There were only two splashes of color on this side of the room. The first was a red quilt Rogue had given Laura for her most recent "birth-day". It was red, with triangles of various fabrics and colors creating a hypnotizing pattern. The second was the giant purple teddy bear Jullian had won for her last week.

While the room may look like two totally separate people lived here, the two occupants couldn't be closer friends. Amara and Laura had instantly bonded and remained strong friends. Amara wasn't in the room right now, she was out in the yard playing hide-and-seek mutant style with some others. Laura was in her room, however. She was lying on her bed, the cheap cell-phone she had bought in her hands. She had been texting Jullian ever since she had gotten back from school. The two had been making (very) small chat up until a few minutes ago, when Jullian had mentioned a movie. Laura was just replying that she was free Friday afternoon when someone rapped on her door.

"Who is it?" Laura asked, stuffing her phone into her jeans pocket. She grabbed _The Odyssey_, sitting on the bed next to her and pretended to be reading it.

"Rogue." The smooth voice came.

"The door is unlocked." Laura replied. She was trying desperately to change her perfect grammar to more "contemporary" grammar.

Rogue walked in and glanced at the clone. "Yo're awful dressed up."

"I have just returned from school."

Rogue nodded, remembering that fact. "I just didn' know ya wore makeup."

"I am not wearing make-up!" Laura replied, perhaps a little too strongly. Rogue reached up and ran a finger across Laura's cheek. She showed the residual dust to Laura.

"That's Amara's makeup. She ain't gonna be happy." Rogue smirked. "Speakin' o' which…"

"She told you?" Laura asked.

Rogue nodded, curling her bottom lip inwards.

"I informed her I would talk about it with you at a later date."

"We don't have that time, X." Rogue replied, placing her hand on the calf of the clone. She realized what she had said and blinked for a moment. She was hiding something…

"What—" Laura started, but Rogue cut her off.

"What're the dreams about?" she asked.

Laura took a deep breath and sighed, closing the book. Rogue glanced at it out of the corner of her eye. Laura hadn't really been reading that book…

"My training at HYDRA." She whispered. "At first it was just the learning…this is a sun, this is a moon…this is an AK-47…"

Rogue nodded, indicating the clone should go on.

"Then it became fighting simulations, then fear control, then stealth tactics, eventually I will remember my assassinations, all of them."

"Yo're memories are comin' back?" Rogue asked. Now she was _very_ concerned.

Laura nodded. "Only recently I started ejecting my claws in my sleep, then I cut Amara…" The clone glanced up at Rogue, blinking back tears in her shimmering brown eyes. "What if I revert to my old assassin ways and begin executing students? What if it begins to happen in school?"

Rogue moved closer and placed her hand on Laura's thigh, opening her mouth to say something, but stopping. The Belle rubbed her thumb against Laura's thigh for a moment, thinking.

"McKenna…her pow'rs…"

"I am aware of her ability to "lock away" memories and return them at will." Laura replied. "I am not comfortable with her, though."

"I could do it if you want." Rogue whispered.

"No," Laura replied. "It is useless. They will resurface again and again. There is no way to permanently erase memories. It is like in a comic-book, there is no way for a character to die."

"Funny comparison." Rogue muttered. "Laura, I want you t' promise me that you'll talk to the Profess'r 'bout this."

"I can not. I do not trust him—"

"You have to." Rogue replied. "Laura, a man once told me that it's different t' trust som'n with yo'r life an' yo'r secrets. Very few people can be entrusted wi' both. The Prof is one of those people. Trust him."

Laura stared at Rogue. "Do you?"

"I don't trust anyone with all my secrets, but look where that's gotten me." Rogue smiled sadly. She looked around and placed a hand on Laura's shoulder. "Laura, somethin's comin'. I ain't gonna be here forever. I need you t' trust these people. They're yo'r friends."

Laura nodded. Then she stopped and stared at Rogue strangely. "What—"

Rogue leaned over and kissed Laura on the forehead gently, taking several seconds to pull off. She stood up and headed for the door. She stopped and turned around with a grin. "'sides, I ain't tellin' ya to talk about ya boyfriend."

Laura's eyes widened. For the first time in quite a while, the clone was speechless. "What—How—"

Rogue smirked, tossed a roll of dollar bills on the bed, and left the room, her jacket whirling behind her.

Laura stared at the door before smiling and tucking the money into her back pocket.  
>-<p>

"Agent Rogue, I am not accustomed to you contacting me in the middle of the day."

"This is an emergency, Director." Rogue whispered, double-checking all of the locks on her doors and windows.

Fury was silent.

"X-23's regaining memories of her time at HYDRA." Rogue said, holding the small communicator in her hand.

"We can't allow this." Fury said. "I placed you near her, Agent Rogue, because—"

"I know damn well why ya placed me here." Rogue replied. "I offered McKenna to do it, she said no. I offered t' do it, but she turned that down too. If I force the memories out of her, she'll never forgive me."

"Then remove those memories as well." Fury ordered.

"I can't! That's not how the power works! She'll recognize those memories are gone immediately. The HYDRA memories, it'll be exactly the same because those memories are just dreams to her."

The two spies stood in silence.

"What about lettin' her know everything?" Rogue asked.

"Damn it, Agent Rogue, what is it with you and bringing people into the fold recently? You're not marching off to death!" Fury exclaimed. "Besides, do you think she'd forgive you if she found out the truth?"

"I'm just sayin' that maybe—"

"Maybe nothing, Agent Rogue. Fix her memories."

"What do you know about this?" Rogue demanded. "I'm the one who's spent the past _two years_ of my life with her. I know what is best for her!"

"I ripped you from worse than nothing, and made you something. I can put you right back where I found you! Erase her memories and do it soon!" Fury shouted. The communication shut off. Rogue cursed and smashed the communicator with her boot.

"Worthless son of a bitch."  
>-<p>

"Sorry, had t' take care of somethin' real quick." Rogue said, walking into the main room. She was still irritable, but not to the same degree. She was very good at hiding her true emotions. "What about the bomb?"

"It's M'kraan." Ms. Marvel said, her head in her hand.

"McRain?" Rogue asked.

"M'kraan." Ms. Marvel corrected. "They were a dangerous alien race that invented life forms."

"Invented life forms?" Rogue snorted. "That's impossible."

"Well they did." Marvel replied. "One of the creatures they created was the Dark Phoenix Force."

"The what?" Rogue asked.

"The Dark Phoenix Force." Marvel repeated. "A cosmic entity that requires a host to exercise its power. It has the ability to turn anything, organic or inorganic, to cosmic dust, a substance less than the atom. It also has extreme telepathy and telekinesis powers."

Rogue glanced at Jean.

"I know you don't like me, Rogue," Jean said. "But I am not a cosmic entity. Besides, I don't turn people to dust."

"It appears in the image of a flaming Phoenix most often."

"Guess what was on the security cameras right before they fried?" Scott asked.

"Flame."

"Burnt the guards…to cosmic dust." Marvel whispered. "After 30,000 years, the Phoenix is here on Earth and wreaking havoc. Why is it targeting Worthington Labs though?"

"Maybe it realizes Worthington is a worthless little moth—"

"Rogue!"

Rogue shut her mouth.

"I have no idea." Marvel replied.  
>-<p>

Bobby had a room to himself. He had been bunking with one of the mutants who had left with Magneto. The Professor had found it useless to attempt to give students shared rooms again, so he had left those people like Bobby in rooms of their own.

Bobby was sitting in the dark. His room was messy. Clothes scattered on the floor and posters drooping on the wall. A soft knocking came at his door. Bobby was in shorts, sitting on the edge of his bed, staring at the ice on his chest. He pulled a shirt on tiredly and walked over, opening the door.

Lorna was there, her green hair pulled back behind her, a tight tee and loose pants were her only clothing articles. Bobby was used to seeing Lorna more dressed up, so her outfit took him by surprise. Normally Bobby would be happy to see a beautiful girl in her pajamas at his door in the middle of the night, but Bobby knew why Lorna was there. He didn't want to talk about it.

"Go away, Lorna." Bobby sighed.

"Just let me talk to you." Lorna pleaded. "Please?"

Bobby closed his eyes, weighing the options in his mind before sighing, moving aside, and gesturing for her to come inside. Lorna entered, looking around the room. The only illumination in the room came from the full moon outside, shining through the uncovered windows.

"Sit down." Bobby sighed again, gesturing at a chair. Lorna sat on his bed, folding her hands in her lap. Bobby glanced at her, and sat next to her.

There was complete silence for about two minutes before Lorna finally spoke.

"Can-Can I see it?" she asked in a hushed whisper.

Bobby looked at her, closed his eyes, and removed his shirt. Up close, Lorna could tell the ice was not from his natural transformation. What looked like shelves of ice that had been scrunched against each other, much like the tectonic plates in an earthquake form mountains, created a rim in the center of the circle of ice. Lorna breathed gently, reaching over and lightly touching it. She jerked her hand away. It was cold. She slowly and carefully placed her hand on the ice, pressing her hot palm against it. It was cool, soothing.

"When did it start?" she asked.

"About six months ago." Bobby replied. "A few weeks after the Sentinel War."

Lorna stared at it, then him.

"It was only the size of a bullet-hole at first." Bobby whispered sorrowfully, glancing at Lorna's hand and the ice on his chest. "Then it grew, slowly but surely. I got worried, but I didn't want to talk to anybody about it, so I tried to figure it out myself."

Bobby took a deep breath. "I-I remember being shot, in the heart, during Days of Future Past. I just sprayed ice over it and went on. During the second wave of Sentinels, one caught me. That was the last I remember." Bobby looked at Lorna with tears in his eyes. "I don't want to die again." He whispered.

"Shh." Lorna replied, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him close to her. "You're not going anywhere Bobby Drake." She mumbled into his shoulder.

Bobby held back his tears and sobs. He took a deep, shaky breath and pulled away from Lorna, wiping the tears that had leaked from his crystal blue eyes, creating salt-water trails down his cheeks.

"Why do you care so much?" Bobby asked. "Why aren't you freaked out?"

Lorna looked at him for a moment, studying him, her emerald eyes searching his for answers. She leaned over and pressed her soft lips against his. She kissed him. Bobby hadn't been expecting this, and couldn't respond in time. Lorna pulled away and looked at him, running a finger through her hair.

"Because you mean a lot to me." She whispered.

Bobby stared at her. Lorna always seemed so withdrawn and quiet. He had never expected her to kiss him. Bobby tried to think things through, tried to rationalize things. Then his passion got the better of him. Bobby grabbed Lorna's face and brought it to his, kissing her, cupping her cheeks with both hands. Lorna gasped and adjusted quickly, wrapping her arms around Bobby's neck and kissing him in return. They sat like that for a minute, then Lorna hauled herself onto Bobby's lap and ran her hands over his chest. Bobby placed his hands on her hips and Lorna slid her tongue into Bobby's mouth.

Bobby was a bit of a player. He had slept with quite a few girls in his time, but Lorna seemed to make him jolt. She provided a spark to him, one he sorely needed. He slipped his hands up her back and felt no bra strap. That didn't seem to register for more than a fifth of a second with him. He ran his hands over her smooth skin. She grinned and tightened her grip in his hair, her tongue tasting him. Bobby pushed the hem of her shirt up, his hands reaching her plump breasts and stopping. Lorna broke the kiss and allowed him to pull the white shirt over her head, leaving her as bare-chested as he was.

Bobby stared at her. He had never seen Lorna naked before, or anywhere near it for that matter. She had never even worn a swimsuit to the swimming pool. Bobby took a little bit of time to cement this image of her in his mind before he grabbed the mounds of flesh with both hands and clenched, kneading them like balls of dough. Lorna moaned softly, the sound almost inaudible. Bobby placed his warm mouth on the right one, kneading the left one still with his hand, and sucking. Lorna let out a slightly louder moan. Bobby found her tit and sucked on it, biting down gently with his teeth. Lorna gasped and let her head fall back.

Bobby's second hand had slid into Lorna's pants and was running over her butt. He slipped his hand around front, but Lorna caught it with hers and grinned. Bobby let go of her breasts with his mouth and she twisted her hips sharply. Bobby groaned. She could feel him beneath her and grinned, letting out a soft moan as she twisted again. Slowly she began to gyrate, her hips grinding against him. He placed his hands on her hips, feeling them move. The two kissed once more, united in passion. Lorna hiked up against him once, then twice, over and over until Bobby was panting into her mouth. She grinned and ran her tongue along the inside of his mouth before pushing him down onto the bed and breaking away. Bobby watched as she dropped her pants to the ground, leaving her in a pair of hot-pink panties. She crawled onto the bed and stopped, her face level with his crotch.

Bobby watched as Lorna peeled away the remainder of his clothes and tossed them on the floor. She pushed her long green hair down in front of her face, creating an impenetrable curtain to block Bobby's view. She moved her head down and Bobby gasped, reaching for her, but finding the sheets of his bed instead. He clenched them tightly as Lorna's head began to bob up and down. Bobby groaned. Softly at first, then louder and louder until he was scared someone would hear them. Lorna made soft slurping sounds, squelches coming when her hand disappeared behind her hair. Bobby gasped and groaned and Lorna's head finally came up. She grinned and pressed her lips against his once again. Bobby could taste the mixture of their skin on Lorna's lips. He ran his tongue along it, grabbing her hair and pushing her face into his, melding her features with his. Lorna grinned.

Bobby pushed her panties over her ass and then slid them the rest of the way off with his feet, leaving both naked on his bed. Bobby pulled back, bringing Lorna with him until his head rested against the back of his headboard. Lorna slid her groin against his and hissed at the contact, sitting up. Her green hair fell over her breasts and her face. It was messy and made her look kind of slutty in Bobby's opinion, but very, very hot.

"Condom?" she gasped.

Bobby was kind of ashamed to admit it, but he pulled one out of his nightstand. Lorna broke it open and disappeared behind that hair of curtain again for a moment. Bobby gasped, shaking slightly. Lorna grinned and placed her hips against his once more. She pecked him once on the lips and reached a hand down there. She hauled herself up, then slowly slid down. Both gasped and sighed, moaning softly as they connected. For a moment, they lay like that, melded together. Then Lorna raised herself up, and lowered herself back down, both gasping again.

It didn't take them long to get a rhythm going, Lorna moving up and down on Bobby, their hips coming in contact every so often when Lorna pressed down especially hard. Bobby could do nothing but watch and relish in pleasure as Lorna rode him. He groaned and grabbed one of her swaying breasts with his hand, clenching it. Lorna moaned, ran a hand through her hair to make it extra messy, and closed her eyes, relishing in the pleasure as well.

A rush of pleasure rocked Bobby's body and he saw his opportunity. Grabbing Lorna, and with a squeal, he flipped them so she was lying on her back on his bed and he was on top, thrusting into her. Lorna moaned and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in for an embrace and French kiss as the two of them continued to thrust and push, moaning. Lorna wrapped her legs around Bobby's ass and gasped as his lips moved down her jawline and onto her neck.

"Hickies." She warned.

Bobby adjusted, making sure not to leave marks. She could feel his teeth grinding up against her skin. She was close, so was he. They continued moving in a faster and faster rhythm until finally Bobby gasped, climaxing first. He leaned his head back and gasped, closing his eyes. He continued to rock into Lorna until he felt her body tighten and shudder. She let out a loud moan and climaxed as well. After the last of the aftershocks rocked over them, Bobby pulled out of Lorna and collapsed next to her, gasping for breath. A used condom fell to the floor.

Neither said anything. Bobby grabbed one of the blankets and pulled it over them. Lorna turned and placed her head on Bobby's chest, near his shoulder so she wasn't on the ice, and closed her eyes, smiling contentedly. Both drifted off to sleep.  
>-<p>

When Lorna woke up in the morning, she couldn't see. She hadn't slept that hard in some time. The light shining in from the windows blinded her, and she covered her face with her hand until her eyes adjusted to the light a minute later. She was still in Bobby's bed, still naked, and still relishing in what had happened the night before. She sat up, her green hair falling askew around her and clutching the sheets to her chest. She looked around for Bobby, but only found clothes. She was starting to wonder if he had darted when she heard the shower. She stood up, glanced cautiously at the window, then dropped the sheets, relaxing into the heat of the sun's light for a moment before entering the bathroom.

Bobby was in the shower, water rushing over him. He glanced at her and smiled. She walked into the shower and was surprised to find the stream ice-cold. She shuddered, adjusting herself to the temperature, then leaned up and kissed him. At first it was just a kiss, then it grew to be more. Soon they were groping each other again.

"School." Bobby gasped out, breaking the trail Lorna's hand was making.

"You sure that's where you want to go?" she asked.

"People will get suspicious." Bobby replied, gasping as Lorna's mouth placed kisses on his chin, feeling the hair from his recent lack of shaving.

"Don't we want them to?" Lorna asked.

"You don't want to keep it a secret?" Bobby asked, looking at her.

Lorna's hand wrapped around something and Bobby gasped.

"Nope. What about you?" Lorna twisted her hand sharply and Bobby stuttered something that sounded like a no. Lorna grinned and sunk to her knees, sending warmth throughout the Iceman's body, even though cold water rushed down on them. She stood up, Bobby's knees shaky, and wiped her mouth.

"Lather me up, then we've got to go to school." Lorna turned and pressed her body against Bobby's letting the cold water wash over her.  
>-<p>

"A skirt?" Laura asked, twirling and looking at the red-black piece of fabric hanging from her waist. "It exposes much skin and is less than favorable for battle."

"Well hopefully you don't get into any of that durin' yo'r first date." Rogue replied, standing off to the side and watching Laura twirl.

"Do you mind if I stop? I am getting dizzy." Laura replied.

"Oh, yo'r only supposed to do it once." Rogue replied. "You can stop."

Laura stood rather awkwardly. "How do I look?"

Laura had allowed Rogue to dress her this one time in order to impress Jullian when they went to the movies tonight. Rogue had handed her a pair of knee-high black leather boots, with solid heels so Laura could still fight, something she insisted on. Rogue had fiddled with a few outfits before settling on a red mini-skirt with black speckles on it and a black button-up shirt that seemed to be molded to fit the clone's torso perfectly. Rogue had insisted Laura curl her hair, but Laura had refused. The most she had ever done with her hair was brush it after getting out of the shower and a haircut every three months.

Rogue looked her over. "Pop a button."

Laura undid the first button.

"Pop another."

Laura undid the second button. A small amount of cleavage was now visible.

"One more." Rogue gestured, her chin resting gently on her hand.

"Should I take off my bra as well?" Laura asked, popping the third button.

"Up t' you." Rogue replied.

Laura rolled her eyes.

"Oh, you were bein' smart. No. I wouldn't. That should be good."

Laura was wearing a black tank-top beneath her shirt, so not nearly as much cleavage was showing as would had she not been wearing the second top.

"You look good." Rogue smiled. Laura could see the tears welling in her eyes and hear her voice crack with emotion. Laura hugged Rogue and Rogue choked on a sob, kissing the crown of Laura's head.

Neither had to say a word, they just embraced each other for a moment, then Rogue broke apart from her.

"Don' wrinkle your clothes." She said gently.

"Do not cry, Rogue." Laura smiled. "I will be fine."

"I know." Rogue replied. "You'll be better'n fine. You go out there an' kick ass. Remember that I love you, no matter what happens."

Laura looked at her strangely. Rogue kissed her gently on the forehead and shoved her out the door. As soon as it was closed, Rogue walked over to the clone's bed and placed something under her pillow. She pulled out her phone and dialed an unknown number, biting back tears.

"It's done."  
>-<p>

Five o'clock traffic clogged the Golden Gate Bridge. Cars filled the bridge, creating little to no room for any movement. One family on vacation to California sat in their car. The father was in the driver's seat, tapping his finger impatiently against the steering wheel. The mother was sitting, annoyed, in the passenger seat. The brother and sister in the backseat were arguing with each other tugging at the iPad between their hands.

Some one slammed into the family's car from behind.

"Oh great." The father groaned. He went to open his door when he realized that he was against the inside guard rail. He glanced out his mirror when the car was hit again, shoving them towards the edge of the bridge.

"What the hell?"

"Honey…" the wife gestured, staring up into the sunlight.

Magneto and his mutant army descended upon the bridge.

"You blame an attack on me without any evidence?" he demanded. "Let me show you what the casualty numbers look like when I attack!"

Magneto raised his arms, levitating the cars with him.  
>-<p>

"What's his condition, doctor?" Worthington asked, rubbing his gloves between his hands.

"Well, Mr. Worthington, that's complicated." The young doctor said, glancing at his clipboard. "Mr. Essex has severe burns, extensive scar tissue all over his body, and is going to require dozens of plastic surgeries to repair the damage to his body. He may have to learn to walk again."

"That doesn't seem so complicated." Worthington replied. "I need my main man back, how long should the operations take?"

"That's not the complicated part, Mr. Worthington. It turns out your lead scientist on the mutant cure…is a mutant himself."

"What?" Worthington asked, shocked.

"His X-Gene was recently activated, probably in the blast. He's in a coma right now, and once he awakens and his surgery is complete, we'll have to take him to S.H.I.E.L.D."

Worthington wasn't listening anymore. The doctor droned on while Worthington thought. Finally he turned and faced the doctor.

"He's in a coma, isn't he?"

"Yes, sir."

"You need authorization from the closest family member to take him off of life support?"

"Yes, sir, but you're not family."

"He doesn't have any." Worthington replied. "If this will ease your conscious…" Worthington handed the man a few thousand dollar bills. "I believe that is more than enough to flip a switch."

"_He's worthless to me."_

Essex's hand clenched into a fist.  
>-<p>

"_S.H.I.E.L.D. has evacuated the bridge. You should have a clear playground on this one. We're holding back until you need us."_

"Thank you, Director Fury." Charles replied. The Blackbird descended, hovered, and finally settled on the Golden Gate Bridge.

Ms. Marvel, Professor X, Rogue, Shadowcat, Jubilee, and for the first time, Angel disembarked from the Blackbird. The winged mutant was wearing a red and white body-suit with a cowl covering the top half of his face. His large, white wings protruded from his back and allowed quick and easy flight.

"Charles!" Magneto shouted, levitating in the middle of the bridge. "You can't possibly believe that I attacked Worthington Labs!"

"I know you didn't, old friend. Come down and let us talk about it."

Erik glanced at Charles carefully, but apparently did not suspect a trap, because he lowered himself onto the pavement, his red cape fluttering behind him in the strong California wind. Havok, Blink, Spyke, and Mystique stood behind him. The mutants were evenly matched should a battle break out, with the exception of Ms. Marvel, who stood to the side, watching Magneto's moves carefully.

"How can you be so sure I didn't attack Worthington?" Erik asked curiously.

"We know who did attack Worthington. It is a cosmic entity known as the Dark Phoenix Force. It inhabits a human host. We don't know why it's here or why it attacked Worthington, but we're working to figure it out."

Erik nodded. "Why not go to the press with this information."

"S.H.I.E.L.D. and Avengers classified data." Ms. Marvel spoke up.

"Besides, how would "A giant space bird in someone's body attacked Worthington, but we don't know who it is, why they're here, and why they attacked Worthington." Sound to the general public?" Kitty demanded.

Charles glanced at Erik. Rogue blinked and slowly slid her gloves off, one hand at a time.

"Work with us, Erik, prove we're right and you are innocent, then we can work together."

"How?" Erik asked.

"We start with what we have—" Charles started, but was interrupted.

"You mean these files?" Rogue asked, waving a thumbdrive around.

"Rogue!" Charles exclaimed. "What are you—"

"Sorry Prof, I'm sick of being treated this way. Taken enough crap off uh everyone else." Rogue grabbed the Professor's bald head and left him asleep in his chair. Rogue stumbled for a moment. She wasn't used to using only one aspect of her powers.

"Rogue! What are you doing?" Kitty shouted.

"She's the traitor!" Jubilee exclaimed.

The X-Men leapt at Rogue, but her superior age and training allowed her to dodge Kitty's leap and catch Jubilee's kick. Rogue twirled, vaulting over the Californian and kicking Kitty in the stomach. Rogue placed a pale hand on the brunette's face and let her fall to the pavement as well. Both Angel and Ms. Marvel were gaining air, swooping down on Rogue from above. She hoisted Jubilee in the air, knocking Angel out of the sky. She ran over to him, punched him in the face, kneed him in the stomach, and knocked him out with a clubbing to the base of his skull. He collapsed. Ms. Marvel swung at Rogue and Jubilee leapt, hissing. Rogue ducked and side-stepped, kicking her leg out at the last moment, tripping Jubilee. She grabbed the dark-haired girl's neck and left her on the pavement as well.

Ms. Marvel landed between Rogue, who had worked her way back to the Blackbird, and Magneto, who was watching with as much shock as the rest.

"They trusted you, Rogue!" Ms. Marvel shouted. "And you betray them like that?"

"You shore you wanna do this, blondie?" Rogue asked, pushing the sleeves of her uniform up to allow more skin to skin contact.

Ms. Marvel cracked her knuckles.

"Fine." Rogue replied.

The two charged at each other, Ms. Marvel swinging. Rogue slid between her legs and placed a firm kick to the base of her spine. Ms. Marvel stumbled and caught Rogue's punch. Rogue intertwined her leg with Ms. Marvel's and twisted, causing the blonde to fall down. Rogue slammed her foot down at Ms. Marvel's stomach, but the Avenger rolled to the side and stood up, swinging again. Rogue dodged her punches, caught some, and ducked others.

Rogue flipped backwards, grabbed a suspension cord, and launched herself at Marvel. Ms. Marvel caught the belle in mid-air and head-butted her. Rogue stumbled back, clutching her head. _That_ was not what she was expecting. She glanced up and nearly lost her head to a blow from the Avenger. Rogue punched Ms. Marvel in the stomach over and over, making her double over. The blonde may be invulnerable, but she could still feel Rogue's powerful punches. Rogue wrapped her arm around the Avenger's neck and flipped her over onto her back, the Belle placing her boot at Ms. Marvel's throat.

"It's over!"

"Like hell." Marvel replied, grabbing Rogue's leg and throwing her to the ground. Both girls made it back to their feet, circling each other. When Marvel's back was to the edge of the bridge, Rogue rushed her. Marvel swung. Rogue ducked, planting her head in the Avenger's stomach and nailing her against the wall of the bridge. She slammed her into the bridge over and over, until Marvel clubbed Rogue's head and turned the tables, placing Rogue against the wall of the bridge.

The X-Men were starting to wake up with groans and moans. Rogue was taking too long. Ms. Marvel went to headbutt her, and Rogue caught her face with her two bare hands, draining her. Something was wrong. Rogue was only supposed to knock them out, but she could feel Ms. Marvel's power leeching into her, she could feel her memories flooding her brain. Secret codes, secret identities, locations of various weapons and prisons, Rogue could see it all in her mind.

Something else was wrong. Rogue couldn't let go. She tried pulling away, but she was pinned against the bridge. She continued draining Ms. Marvel. She had Kree powers, and was taking much longer to drain than anyone else Rogue had ever touched, but even she was nearing her limit. Rogue heard her gasp and finally stumble away. Rogue gasped and fell to her knees, all of her powers and memories flooding into her mind.

'_Damn it!'_ she thought, slapping the concrete. It cracked beneath her and she remembered Marvel's super-strength.

The Avenger stumbled against the railing and fell. Rogue darted to the edge of the bridge and watched as she fell. She could do nothing now, Marvel was left to her own means.

Something flew past Rogue. It was Angel, diving towards the river.

"Let's get the hell outta here." Rogue shouted, running towards Magneto. The Master of Magnetism smiled and led her into the purple portal, then they all disappeared in a blink.  
>-<p>

The front doors of the hospital blew off. Nathaniel Essex levitated a few inches off of the sidewalk. His pale skin and exposed muscle screamed in agony from the sun. Essex grinned through the pain.

"Power!" he shouted. "Unlimited…_POWER!"_  
>-<p>

-  
><strong>X-Men: Standing Guard Will Return Shortly<strong>  
>-<p> 


	11. S2E03 The Plot Thickens Epilogue

It was almost eight o' clock by the time Laura and Jullian left the movie theater. The sky was dark and street-lights up and down the street illuminated the sidewalk in white circles. Laura felt a need to shiver, with her legs exposed to the cold air. She resisted the urge and glanced at Jullian, who seemed very cold. It was obvious he hadn't been nearly drowned in an ice-bath until he didn't feel at the age of six. Laura shook the memory from her head. What?

Jullian had worn a green t-shirt and dark skinny jeans to the date with Laura. He had tossed a sports coat of matching color over his shirt to show he had gotten dressed, just not _too_ dressed. They had sat silently throughout the movie, Laura relishing in the new taste of popcorn. It was fattening and not good for her, she could tell just by the taste and the over-saturated buttery smell, but she had enjoyed the taste anyway.

Just as with the popcorn, the movie had made no sense to her. It had been an action-romance movie. The lead female detective had been resistant at first to the assistance of a handsome and charming lead male reporter, but they had eventually admitted their feelings, had sex, and solved the murder. Laura could tell the sex scene hadn't been what Jullian had had in mind, because his heart started racing. Laura had taken no purpose from the movie and hit had only been halfway entertaining, yet she had found herself laughing alongside Jullian for no apparent reason.

Laura brushed her brown hair behind her ear, some was blowing into her face, and she turned to Jullian with a smile. Both were speechless again. Jullian's dark hair moved in the wind and Laura had the overwhelming urge to grab it, twist it in her fingers. She resisted this urge as well. Jullian shoved his hands in his pocket.

"Thanks for coming." He said.

"Thank you for inviting me." Laura smiled. She wanted this boy to like her.

Jullian grinned. "Well, I just had to show you off."

Laura almost thought he was referring to her as property, much as her HYDRA leaders had (once again, what?), but then she realized he was complementing her and smiled even broader in response.

Speechlessness again. Laura held her wrist with her hand. Finally she broke the silence. "I had a good time, but I must be returning home." She said.

Jullian nodded. "Yeah, uh, see you Monday?"

Laura smiled and nodded. She turned to go when Jullian's hand grabbed her arm and spun her, jerking her back towards him. She felt him press his lips to hers, placing his hands on the lower part of her back. She was completely taken off-guard. She had never kissed anyone before. Jullian's kiss lasted only a moment, then he broke apart, studying her to see if he had stepped too far. Laura grabbed his face with both hands and pulled him in, kissing him. It was a little messy at first, but then she figured out how it went and kissed him hard, passionately. Jullian's hands found the bottom of her back again and arched her body into his. The two finally broke the kiss, staring at each other.

"Wow…" Jullian whispered, staring at Laura. She blushed sharply, realizing she had just had her first kiss and understood why it meant so much to people on television and to the girls at the Institute.

"Do you, um, want me to walk you home?" Jullian asked.

Laura almost said yes, but this would lead him to the Xavier Institute and reveal her status as a mutant, something she wasn't ready to reveal yet.

"Thank you, but I will be fine." Laura smiled.

"All right, text me tomorrow!" Jullian waved.

Laura waved back and headed towards the Xavier Institute, turning on her comm-device on her way. She had turned it off during the movie, not wanting anything to interrupt her date. She couldn't wait to tell Rogue about it for some reason. The second she flicked the device on, she was met with a sharp trill to the ear. She cringed and clutched her ear. She almost cursed, but didn't. She accepted the transmission.

"Wildecat." She reported.

"Laura!" Amara exclaimed. "Where the hell have you been? We've been calling you for two hours!"

"I was…preoccupied." Laura replied. "What is the situation?"

"What's the situation? What's the situation?" Amara exclaimed. "The traitor took out Ms. Marvel and half of the X-Men on the Golden Gate Bridge!"

"Is Rogue all right?" Laura asked, her thoughts immediately going to the Belle.

"That's the thing, Laura." Amara said. She stopped for a moment.

"What? Is she all right?" Laura demanded.

"Laura, Rogue was the traitor."


	12. S2E04 Grey Areas (FULL)

**AN:  
>-<strong>

**-  
><strong>_**Previously on X-Men: Standing Guard**_**:**

The Heli-Carrier floated gently over the North American continent, heading from the west to east coast. S.H.I.E.L.D. had picked up the X-Men and Ms. Marvel from the Golden Gate Bridge, and all were receiving medical attention. Charles sat thoughtfully on the bridge of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Heli-Carrier. Directory Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. walked on-bridge and Charles rolled to face him.

"I thought you had your girl under control, Charles." Fury greeted.

"As did I. She asked for a collar to suppress her powers, make sure she could only use her powers to knock out people. She said she didn't want memories and powers in her. The collar worked while she was…while she took us out, but when it came to Ms. Marvel, it must have overheated. I've never seen her act that way before. It was like she was being electrocuted, like she couldn't let go." Charles replied.

Fury sighed and pulled up several images for Charles.

"Media is already all over this: X-Men Betrayed. There's no footage from on the ground yet, and when it pops up, we'll erase it, but it's still very obvious the news is getting around."

"What of the students?" Charles asked.

"They're all fine and nursing headaches." Fury replied. He paused. "Ms. Marvel on the other hand…our doctors are operating on her, but she's in a coma and we're not sure when she'll come out of it. I can't believe this is happening again…"

"Again, Director?" Charles asked.

"Ah, this isn't the first time Rogue has put someone in a coma. The _third_ time, actually."

"And how are they faring?" Charles asked.

Fury stared straight ahead. "Still asleep."

Charles sighed. "I knew this was too dangerous, with her powers, her instability…"

"Don't blame yourself, Charles, you couldn't have known this would happen."

"But I should have!"

Fury looked at him, then minimized the screen displaying the story about the X-Men, and pulled up an image with a news report from New York City.

"Nathaniel Essex, the Worthington Labs scientist who was working on the mutant Cure, went screw-loose on the inhabitants of New York General. He blew off the doors, caused a bit of havoc in New York City, then disappeared underground. We haven't been able to find him. Speaking of Worthington, I'm surprised to see Worthington Number Three in your little roster of mutants."

"He would appreciate it if you kept his identity a secret." Charles said with a smile.

"Of course." Fury nodded. "Here's the problem: Essex is a mutant, that much we were able to detect before he disappeared. He's very dangerous. We can't find him, though. If you can use Cerebro to locate him, I can send in a S.H.I.E.L.D. kill-squad and take him down."

"No." Charles replied.

"Charles—"

"No. He's a mutant, he's probably traumatized because of his work on the Cure, and he just needs some guidance. I will find him and bring him back to a safe location."

"Charles, he's dangerous and needs to be dealt with."

"He's a mutant, I need you to trust me."

"Trust you?" Fury asked, rather loudly. "After that little fiasco on the Bridge? An Avenger is _down_, Charles! Find Essex, give me his location, and we go in fast and hard. Final!"

Charles glared at him and rolled away.  
>-<p>

The purple portal blinked open in a former Worthington Industries Warehouse on Genosha. Genosha had once been a peaceful island, dedicated to united scientific research around the world. Then the mutants came and drove the humans out. Now it was the new, on-the-map, headquarters for Magneto's army. The island had excellent defense systems that would require an entire Heli-Carrier to take down and an army to invade. S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't have those resources to spare.

Magneto, Blink, Havok, Spyke, and Mystique exited the portal, followed by Rogue.

"What the hell?" Pyro exclaimed. "What's she doin' here?"

"Stand down, Pyro." Magneto ordered. "Rogue has joined us."

"What? Why? How do we know for sure?"

Rogue pulled the blue thumb-drive out of her jacket pocket and waved it in front of Pyro's face.

"What the hell is that?" Pyro demanded.

"Proof that Magneto didn't destroy Worthington Labs." Mystique replied. She glanced at Rogue. "So she claims."

"Check it out for y'self if ya don't believe me." Rogue retorted, tossing the thumbdrive to Mystique. Mystique glanced at her, but plugged the thumbdrive into a computer and started skimming files.

"How do we know she wasn't planted here by Xavier?" Havok demanded.

"_Because_, when I was on that bridge, not only did I take down Xavier and his little pets, but I also took down Ms. Marvel. _Hard_."

"Ms. Marvel?" Toad asked. "Ain't that the new hottie Avenger?"

Rogue smirked.

"She didn't just take her down," Blink exclaimed. "She drained the woman of _everything_ and dumped her in the river!"

There was stunned silence, then a voice Rogue had not been expecting called. "_Chere?"_

"Gambit?" Rogue asked, shell-shocked. Gambit pushed his way past Toad, who let out a small burst of expletives in his direction, and walked up to Rogue.

"What are you doin' here, _Cherie_?" Gambit asked.

Rogue just blinked and looked at him. "I-uh-What the hell are you doin' here?"

"I had no where else to go. Domino, Longshot and I tried to take over the Assassin's Clan and Thieves' Guild, but got no-where. I came here to Magneto, he took me in." Gambit put his gloved hands on Rogue's arms. "What are you doin' here, though?" he asked in concern.

Rogue had collected herself by now. She smirked, her white hair falling down into her face. "I decided to join the winnin' team."  
>-<p>

"What the hell-?"

"Is that—?"

"_The Avengers_?!"

"They must be _pissed_!"

"Think they're here to shut us down?"

The Quin-Jet touched down in the front lawn of the Xavier Institute right next to a modified S.H.I.E.L.D. Hellier-Jet painted red and white. The X-Men, excluding Angel who had gone home, debarked from the Jet and stared in awe at the craft sitting on the front lawn. They made their way to the front door of the Xavier Institute. Jean was waiting outside. She levitated Charles up onto the landing and held open the door for him.

The Avengers were inside. Iron Man in his red-gold armor, Thor, red cloak billowing behind him, Ant-Man, red-black suit and silver helmet gleaming, Wasp, a black and yellow blur buzzing around Ant-Man's head, Bruce Banner, standing in a purple shirt and dress-pants, glasses on his face, Falcon, his white and red uniform hiding the muscle underneath, and Quicksilver, the second-newest member, tapping his foot impatiently, his light-blue and white suit hugging slightly too tight to his frame.

"Holys shit." Bobby muttered.

"Side room, now." Jean ordered, giving the group a telepathic shove away. When the students had closed the door behind them and disappeared from sight, everything was absolutely silent. Finally Iron Man broke the silence.

"We need to talk."  
>-<p>

-  
><strong>X-Men: Standing Guard<br>Season 2 Episode Four  
>"Grey Areas"<br>**-

"What's going on?" Bobby asked eagerly.

"I don't know. I can't hear because you're asking me every five seconds." Kitty grumbled. "Shut up!"

"Can't you just phase and turn invisible?" Bobby asked.

"Can't you just shut up?" Kitty demanded. Lorna giggled. "Besides, they'd know I was there."

"They're all in there?" Amara asked.

"Yeah!" Bobby exclaimed. "Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Ant-Man, Wasp, Falcon, even Pietro!"

"I still can't believe they let him into the Avengers!" Lorna muttered. "Why can't I be in the Avengers?"

"Yeah!" Bobby agreed.

Amara glanced over. Laura was watching begrudgingly from a distance. She folded her arms. She had met the Avengers once before. She had almost killed them all too…Wait, how did she know that? Laura clutched her head and walked out of the dark room quickly, heading for the stairs. She could hear Amara following her.

"Laura!" Amara exclaimed. "Laura!"

"I am fine." Laura replied.

"Do you want to talk about it? About Rogue? I know you two were like sisters, or whatever, but—"

"This is wrong." Laura said simply.

"I know, Laura, I know. I can't believe she did this!"

"She did not." Laura replied. "I have known Rogue for as long as I can remember…clearly…and this is not her. She would not simply betray us like this."

"Rogue, she lost her powers, the love of her life, and has been basically shunned the rest of us for our own separate reasons. It's no wonder she left!"

"No, something else is going on here. I am going to get to the bottom of this."

Laura continued her ascent up the stairs. Jubilee came around the corner. "Is Laura all right?" she asked, munching on a candy bar.

"I don't know." Amara replied, watching the clone go.  
>-<p>

Rogue glanced around the room, looking for everything she would need: hiding places, weapons storage that was hidden, but not out of reach in a pinch, multiple escape routes…

The room was a decent size, half the size of her room at the Xavier Institute, but it would do. There was one window looking out over the ocean. She could make a jump down into the water and maybe swim for it if necessary. There was a bed in the corner furthest from the door, covered in light blue and white sheets. A bathroom was opposite of that. There was a cabinet by the door, good for barricading herself in. She looked at the floor and tapped lightly. It was wooden planks and hollow beneath. She grinned.

Rogue straightened up. Someone was behind her, leaning against the door on one hand.

"Gambit!" Rogue exclaimed.

"Rogue," Gambit replied, not as enthusiastically. "Whatcha doin' here, _chere_?"

"You've asked me that three times," Rogue said, turning back around to face the Cajun. "Stop."

"You never answered me." Gambit replied, walking into the room.

"Yeah I did." Rogue replied, pulling the pistol out of her ankle sheath and placing it on the bed. "I'd had enough of bein' a victim."

"The Rogue I know wouldn' jus' abandon her friends w'out a better reason." Gambit said.

"Fine, Remy," Rogue exclaimed, whirling around to face the Cajun, her white hair landing in her face. She grabbed it and shoved it to the side. "I lost m' powers, an' they can't do anything 'bout it! Because of m' powers, I lost you, Remy…_I lost you_. Then instead of tryin' t' help, everyone just moves to the side when I come through, to avoid me touchin' 'em! I'm tired of working for the good guys!"

Gambit studied her. "No, I don't believe you."

"Well, ya gonna have t'." Rogue replied fiercely. Her hair had fallen in her face again and she shoved it to the side.

Gambit studied her a little more and a small smile came to his face. "You never defected."

"What?" Rogue demanded, tossing her cell-phone on the bed.

"Ya never left Xavier, yo're still workin' for 'im."

"What?" Rogue demanded. "Are you nuts?"

Gambit picked up her phone. "You'd've never brought the phone here. They can track it. You didn't exhibit powers from drainin' the X-Men…" Gambit touched her collar gently and Rogue cringed to prevent skin-to-skin contact. "And this collar ain't yo'r style."

Rogue stared at him.

"You're a double-agent." Gambit said, smirking. He backed up, making a pistol motion with his finger. "Double-naught-Rogue."

"Gambit-!"

Gambit disappeared out of the doorway.  
>-<p>

"Dr. Nathaniel Essex…Essex…No, no, no, wrong, all wrong, can't, no, no…" Essex clutched his head and picked up a vial, staring at it. He dropped it and caught it with his mind, laughing.

"Sinister!" He grinned, a light coming into his eyes. "Yes! Sinister! Sinister! _Mister Sinister_!"

Essex pulled several trays with DNA in them out of an incubator. He glanced at them and smashed them on his leg, dancing around, laughing, cursing, shouting his own name.

"No, no, no. New mutants. New mutants! Yes, yes, yes! New mutants, more DNA, more _power_!"

Essex looked at his fist and hit himself in the eye.

"No, no, no, _SINISTER!_ Where to go, where to go, where to go? Shopping, abducting, killing, murdering, fun, fun, fun! Where, where, where?"

Sinister slammed his fist on the table and his telekinetic energy, red ribbons, sparked around the dark laboratory. The television flickered on.

"…_the surprising betrayal by X-Men member we only know as Rogue. Ms. Marvel's condition is still unknown, but the X-Men made startling efforts to save her life…"_

"X-Men." Sinister hissed, pressing his face to the television screen and licking it. "Here I come!"  
>-<p>

Laura had just placed her history book in her locker and grabbed her Algebra book. She turned around and ran into someone.

"I am sorry—Jullian?"

"Hey there, Laura." Jullian grinned, flashing that dazzling white smile at her, his green eyes shining.

"What are you doing here?" Laura asked.

"Looking at you." Jullian replied with that same smile that so disoriented Laura.

"How did your math test go?" Laura asked.

Jullian shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I had this beautiful, brown haired, brown eyed girl in my mind all morning, just couldn't get her out…" Jullian leaned down, trying to kiss Laura. Laura pushed him away.

"Not here!" she exclaimed quietly, glancing at Amara at the end of the hallway with her friends. She grabbed Jullian's hand and dragged him around the corner and into the deserted library. She looked around, then leaned up and pressed her lips to his, wrapping her arms around his neck. Jullian returned the kiss, placing his hands on her back, pushing her body into his.

"Is that better?" Laura asked.

Jullian raised an eyebrow. "Is that a trick question?"

Laura laughed breathily. She glanced at the clock on the wall. "We should get back to our classes before people become suspicious."

Jullian grinned, not removing his hands from her back. "If you insis—"

A loud explosion sounded. Chunks of light-blue and white wall were thrown inwards. Bookshelves were knocked down. Smoke filled the air. Laura and Jullian were knocked against the wall and fell to the ground. Laura coughed and dragged herself behind the overturned study desk the two had been standing next to. Jullian hauled himself next to her.

"What—the hell?" he demanded. "Is this someone's idea of a prank?"

Laura snuck a peek over the desk before ducking back down. "Five men, one leader, four guards. Not a typical school shooting."

"Very observant." Jullian noted, almost unconsciously saying it out loud. "What do we do?"

"Stay down." Laura ordered. "Give me a moment."

Laura reached up and tapped her ear comm once, twice, three times, then three more times for slightly longer, then three more short taps. S O S in Morse Code. Every member of the X-Men knew it. She tapped her ear comm a total of three times (for maximum chance of the others receiving the message), and let go.

"Stay down." Laura urged. She glanced around the corner and got her first look at the attacker. He was tall, with white, burned skin and exposed muscles. She could see them at work as he overturned a table. He had a small remnant of smooth, black hair on his head, his eyes were dark and glowed with a red energy. He was dressed in black pants, red shirt, and a white lab coat. His four guards were probably hired guns, all dressed in ski-masks and casual clothes, sporting heavy assault rifles.

The hole this man had blown in the wall was large enough for a car to drive in. It opened into the main road. Shops glowing with "OPEN" signs and deals displayed in their windows lined the streets. People were panicking, running about. One man came out of his store with a gun, but the white-skinned man's guard shot him down in the street, arousing screams from a group of schoolgirls huddled in the corner.

"Ladies and Gentlemen! My name is Mr. Sinister!" The white man spoke. Groups of children were huddling about the doorway, glancing inward. Laura was wondering what was taking the X-Men so long to get here.

"Now, I'm not here to hurt anybody…much…I'm just here for some mutants."

Mutants? Whispers ran through the air. A police car screeched up behind Sinister and it suddenly flipped, landing on its roof. Sinister smiled and continued roaming the library. Laura jerked her head back and stared ahead, breathing deeply. Most telekinetic people had to at least move a body part to flip something as large as a police car, Sinister had done it without blinking.

"Holy Hell." Laura whispered, another phrase she had picked up from Rogue. Rogue…No, she couldn't think about that right now.

"The X-Men in particular. I am aware several of their members attend school here. I've tracked them. I just don't know who they are. If any of you do, please offer them forwards."

Whispers continued to run through the students. Sinister waited about thirty seconds before sighing and signaling for one of his men to grab one of the school-girls, who squealed.

"All right, new plan!" Sinister announced loudly. "I start shooting students until an X-Man grows a pair!"

Laura heard a gun cock. She turned to Jullian. "I am sorry, Jullian." She said, before standing up. Sinister glanced at her with an amused expression on his face.

"Hello, little girl." He smiled.

"You are looking for mutants?" Laura asked.

"Mmhmm." Sinister replied, amused.

Laura glanced around, waiting for Lorna, Amara, and Bobby to come bursting in, but nothing happened.

"Why? Do you know one?" Sinister asked.

Laura didn't reply. She glanced at Jullian one last time and took a deep breath before slowly sliding her claws out. Sinister's eyes widened and stunned whispers ran through the student body. A mutant? Here?

"Wolverine's daughter…" Sinister whispered.

"He is _not my father_!" Laura hissed. Two more police cars met the same fate as the first. "Stand down, now."

Sinister smirked. "I'd ask you to come quietly, but that isn't going to happen, so I'll just shoot this girl and take you myself."

Laura leapt. She had taken the time she had been talking to Sinister to study her opponents. The man holding the girl was within her reach. She had been coiling her legs like a cat before it pounced on a butterfly. Laura soared through the air, flipped, ejected her foot claw, and sliced the gun in half before digging her claws into the first man's shoulders. She grabbed the school-girl and tossed her back towards her friends. The other three soldiers opened fire on her. She yelped and dropped to the ground.

"Laura!" Jullian exclaimed.

"Stay cool, kid." Iceman exclaimed, freezing the boy's feet to the floor.

The X-Men had arrived. Iceman, in full ice-form, Lorna, dressed in her uniform, Amara, in full on magma mode, Lyla, ball cap and domino mask tucked low on her face, her fists at the ready. As soon as all four X-Men were in the room, Bobby sealed up the doorway with ice.

"You wanted mutants?" Bobby asked. "Now you got four!"

"You can come willingly, or meet the same fate as your friend." Sinister smiled. "I don't need you alive, I just prefer it that way. More fun."

"Who? Me?" Laura asked, standing up, the bullet spitting themselves out one-by-one. Jullian stared in amazement.

"Get them!" Sinister exclaimed.

The three armed guards ran forward and opened fire. Bobby panicked and raised an ice shield in front of him, standing behind it. Lorna used her powers to snatch the guns from the men's arms and drop them on their heads, leaving them unconscious.

"Tell you what, _you_ come willingly or meet the same fate as _your_ friends." Lyla smirked.

"Oh, I knew they weren't a match for you." Sinister said. "I just needed to draw you out."

With that, Lorna felt herself thrown into the wall. Sinister dropped her, her head hitting a bookshelf on the way down, leaving her unconscious on the floor.

"Polaris!" Bobby exclaimed. He fired a beam of ice at Sinister, but the mad scientist redirected it to hit Laura in the head before slamming full-force into Amara, who yelped and reverted to human form, her skin smoking.

Laura was already back up, swinging her claws at Sinister. He grabbed her body and hoisted her in the air, throwing her into Bobby before darting forward at almost in-human speed and grabbing Lyla by the throat, strangling her.

"Let her go!" Amara shouted, firing a burst of heat at Sinister. He re-directed it to Bobby, who yelled in pain.

Lyla fell to the ground, unconscious and barely breathing.

At least half a dozen police cars screeched up outside of the school and officers got out, opening fire on Sinister. He re-directed the bullets to Laura, who took them and collapsed to the ground once more. Sinister looked around and started floating out, Lyla and Lorna's bodies floating behind him.

"Lyla!" Amara exclaimed, trying to grab onto the blonde girl's hand, but too late. Sinister ascended gracefully into the sky, the two girls following him, before rocketing away into the clouds.

Police officers rushed in. Jullian broke the ice around his foot, standing up to stare at Laura. He started towards her, but she sent him a sorrowful, firm look that said "No".  
>-<p>

-  
><strong>Now, an Exclusive Look at the Next Episode of <strong>_**Bishop**_**  
><strong>-

Sneak Peek  
>-<p>

-  
><strong>This is the second in an epic two-part, game-changing <strong>_**X-Men**_ **event!**  
>-<p>

"What you did was very brave, Laura." Jean said comfortingly.

"I still did not stop him, even though I could have."

"Dude was an Omega Level mutant. He could flip cars without blinking!" Bobby growled. "Not even you can do that, Jean."

"Laura, there was nothing you could have done, not alone."

"But there is something we can do together." Charles said, rolling out into the smooth, white hallways with the entire body of the Xavier Institute, minus Storm, Rahne, and Roberto who were on a mission to Germany.

"Cerebro located his mutant signature?" Jean asked.

"Yes. He's hiding out in an old S.H.I.E.L.D. Laboratory in West Virginia. We need a small strike team to go in, rescue his hostages, and return him to the Xavier Institute." Charles said.

"Why not just call in S.H.I.E.L.D.?" Scott asked.

"Because S.H.I.E.L.D. will kill him. Every mutant deserves a second chance, no matter what they have done." Charles replied. "Besides, it is better if we go."

"Good," Bobby said, punching his palm, icing over his body. "I've been wanting to kick this guy's ass."

"No," Charles replied. "You will stay here, Bobby."

"What?" Bobby exclaimed. "But he took Lorna—"

"Exactly. Your emotions will compromise this mission. I am sorry, Bobby, but it is imperative for her safety that you remain here."

Bobby glared at the Professor before storming off.

"So who's going?" Amara asked.

"Myself, Kitty, Jean, Scott, Jubilee, Laura, and you, Amara, will compose the strike team."

"Are you sure you should go, Professor? This guy is pretty powerful. He has mental capabilities; he may be able to block you out."

"Telepathy and Telekinesis is a very rare combination." Charles said. "I find it hard to believe that he possesses both of these powers. Besides, I may be able to calm him down or restrain him while you free Lorna and Lyla."  
>-<p>

"We can't have our children mingling with these monsters!"

"ALL MUTANTS REGISTER!"

"I don't feel like my kids are safe in school with these freaks!"

"ALL MUTANTS REGISTER!"

Protestors had stormed Washington, D.C. after the news out of Manchester, New York that a mutant high-school student had been exposed during a mutant attack on the school. Thousands of protestors carrying signs wearing anti-mutant T-shirts, screaming at politicians to fix the problem with this country.

"Sir, protests are picking up. Should we move you to the emergency bunker?" a Secret Service Agent asked President Robert Kelly.

"No," Kelly smiled, watching the protests from behind the bullet-proof glass of the Oval Office. "They know I stand with them."

The agent nodded and returned to his position. Kelly continued watching the protestors marching down the street.  
>-<p>

"Sir, this is the last location Nathaniel Essex was seen before he disappeared." Assistant Director Maria Hill said. "Perhaps he returned here after abducting the two children?"

Director Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. stood, hands clasped behind his back, dark trench-coat still, his one good eye surveying the images of the green trees below. "What's down there, Hill?" he asked.

"The former Sentinel Project base. After Rogue and X-23 escaped, they had to relocate the base in case the two came back. It has everything he would need: food, supplies, medicine, and near impenetrable blast doors." Hill said. "It also has holding cells designed to restrain mutants."

Fury nodded. "Get a strike team down there now and find those mutants."  
>-<p>

The Blackbird landed silently in the clearing. The base the X-Men had tracked Essex to was located in a forest. The only place to land was in the clearing half a mile from the base. The clearing itself was roughly 150 yards wide, semi-circular, and covered in green grass and bright flowers. The forest surrounding the clearing was pine. The tall, skinny trees waved in the wind, shaking loose pine cones and dropping them onto the forest floor. The ground was covered in decaying pine-needles and had a rustic-brown color to it.

The Blackbird's boarding ramp opened with a hiss and the X-Men descended onto the ground. Storm clouds rumbled above, and in the distance lightning flashed. A gentle sprinkle had already started and promised to grow into a torrential downpour as the day went on. The bitter wind and cold temperatures nipped at the X-Men. Amara considered lighting herself to provide warmth, but didn't want to start a forest fire, so she huddled in the thick jacket she had brought with her. It was especially cold for a fire user.

Charles was in his floating wheel-chair again, making it much easier for him to traverse the forest. Jean and Scott were in their uniforms for the first time in months. Jean had changed her uniform. She wore a burnt orange top with a large yellow X-Men logo in the middle of her chest. The shirt was flexible, and yet acted as a form of body armor and padding. Her pants were the same burnt orange with yellow patches over the knee, and lines dragging the sides of her legs. These, too, acted as body armor. Over this she wore her original black trench-coat, the X-Men logo on each shoulder in yellow still. She wore black leather gloves and black combat boots, just like all the X-Men. Her stunning red hair flowed in curls over her shoulders.

Scott's costume was a dark crimson body-suit. The suit had a large, bright red "X" crossing over his chest. The same bright red was used to highlight his uniform, shoulder padding, knee padding, and even his belt. He wore a mask, unlike his wife, because of his destructive power. Before, Scott had used a visor that could adjust the frequency of his blasts, but that was hands on and had proven to be too risky to use on several occasions. Now, Scott wore a cowl made of the same dark-red material as his uniform. A second "X" crossed over his eyes and united the laser beams he shot from his eyes into a single beam. This beam's frequency could be adjusted by Scott using only his mind. He no longer had to use his hand to ensure safety.

Amara wore the same type of costume Rogue had, with a slight difference in colors. The body-suit was black, not green, and a large yellow stripe ran from her neck, covered her shoulders, and sloped down to her belt where it stopped. The black X-Men logo was on each shoulder. She had a V domino mask on her face to keep her identity a secret.

Kitty wore the same blue costume as before as did Jubilee, her dark blue and pink costume contrasting sharply with her yellow trench-coat. She wore no mask. She had ear-buds in each ear, her eyes closed, her head swaying to some punk rock. Laura was finally able to remove that domino mask she had found so itchy. On one hand she felt better, on the other, not so much. She missed Jullian already. He wouldn't accept her now that he knew the truth: that she was a mutant.

Jean and Scott were at the back of the group, talking, Kitty and Amara were at the front, walking with Professor Xavier. Laura glanced over at Jubilee, still nodding to her music, and made a split-second decision, something she normally did not do, and walked over, tapping the spiky-haired girl on the shoulder. Jubilee opened an eye, stopped her music, and pulled an ear-bud out, looking at Laura.

"Hey, Talon." Jubilee greeted. Jubilee had suggested the nick-name Talon to Laura earlier, but Laura had already taken the code-name Wildecat so Jubilee had kept it as a nickname. "What's up?"

Laura bit her lip, another thing she didn't do very often. Jubilee stared at her. "Are you alright?"

"You are aware of what transpired at school earlier today?" Laura asked.

"Uh-huh." Jubilee replied. The rain was starting to come down a little harder now, but the X-Men were already under the roof of the forest.

"Jullian was there." Laura said simply, staring at the ground.

"Oh." Jubilee said simply, staring straight ahead. "I totally forgot about that part."

Jubilee was the only one Laura had told about her boyfriend. Jubilee was very supportive and didn't make fun of her, which is why Laura chose her over Amara.

"So he broke up with you?" Jubilee asked.

"Not yet," Laura replied. "He has been calling all afternoon. I do not wish to take his call. Nor do I wish to return to school tomorrow."

"Well, I doubt you'll be going back anytime soon, especially after what happened. Stupid pig-headed saps."

Laura glanced at her. None of the other X-Men used that offensive term. It was "the n-word for humans" as Amara had described it, although she had pointed out some humans deserved the title.

"Wait," Jubilee said, pulling her ear-buds out completely and tucking them into her coat. "He's been calling all afternoon?"

Laura nodded and muttered "yes."

"He doesn't want to break up with you, Laura!" Jubilee exclaimed, quietly.

"How do you know this?" Laura asked, tilting her head at the Asian.

"If he didn't want to be with you, I highly doubt he would have called once, much less all afternoon! He's probably worried about you!"

"But what if you are wrong?" Laura asked. "What if he is calling to-to-to tell me how horrible it is to be a mutant?"

"That's the thing about life." Jubilee smiled, placing a hand on Laura's shoulder. "Nothing is guaranteed, you have to take chances. You might get your heart broken or not. I still say he wants to be with you."

The group had stopped and Laura stood there, shifting her weight from one foot to the other, debating in her head. Before she could reach a decision, Kitty made a shushing motion and gestured for everyone to be quiet. She phased and slipped into the ground. There was a quiet moment, then Kitty appeared ten yards ahead of them. She pushed aside some bushes to reveal a trapdoor in the forest floor. She hauled it open and glanced inside before jumping in. The rest of the X-Men descended, Professor Xavier lowering himself in carefully until he was hovering over the floor.

The seven mutants moved forward, but suddenly found a red force-field around them. They were trapped.

"As Admiral Ackbar would say…" Kitty started, but before she could finish the sentence, electricity arched through the hallway and struck each of the X-Men, leaving them unconscious.  
>-<p>

The belle sat on her bed, gun in her hand. The gun was designed and painted to look like it was made of metal, but it was not. The gun was made of plastic, as were the bullets. The knife Rogue had attached to her hip was made of plastic too. She had exchanged all of her weapons to be made of plastic so the Master of Magnetism had no control over them.

She had everything she needed on her: weapons, food, radios, ammunition, everything. She expected Magneto to walk through that door any minute now. She would complete her mission: take out Magneto, and leave, hijacking a boat she had seen earlier on the beach, and heading for Africa. From there she would take a flight to America and get to either S.H.I.E.L.D. or the Institute as quickly as she could.

The door creaked open and Rogue leapt to her feet, aiming the gun at the figure entering the door. He yelped and raised his hands in the air.

"_Que Enfer_!" he exclaimed. "Rogue!"

Rogue lowered the gun. "What the hell are you doin' here, Gambit?" she demanded.

"I came by t' talk t' ya." Gambit replied with a charming smile.

"What? Ease me down so when Magneto comes I can't get away?" Rogue demanded sharply, the gun still in her hand.

"What?" Gambit asked.

"Did Magneto send you here to soften me up 'fore he comes in and locks me away?"

Gambit was completely confused. "What are you talkin' 'bout _chere_?" he asked.

"You told Magneto I was a spy!" Rogue exclaimed quietly. "You told him Xavier planted me here!"

"What?" Gambit exclaimed. "_Non_!"

Rogue studied him carefully. "You didn' tell 'im?" she asked.

"No!" Gambit exclaimed. I wouldn't do that to you, Rogue!"

Rogue set the gun down on her nightstand and clicked the safety on before turning back and studying Gambit, arms folded over her chest.

The Belle was dressed in her X-Men uniform: green and yellow skin-tight suit. Because the cold was setting in, she had replaced her normal brown motorcycle jacket with a black trench-coat, the insides lined with light grey fur.

Gambit was dressed in dark jeans and a purple sweater, his rusty brown trench-coat thrown on over that, his red-on-black eyes staring at her.

"What're ya doin' here then?" Rogue asked.

"I wanted t' talk t' ya." Gambit said, opening his arms wide.

Rogue eyed him suspiciously, but finally sighed and sat down on her bed. Gambit looked around and grabbed the chair by Rogue's desk, placing it backwards and sitting in it, looking at her, admiring her. Rogue's red hair was flowing in curls now, hanging about mid-back. The curls seemed to move as if they were liquid. Gambit let a small smile escape to his lips.

Rogue looked at Gambit and placed her head in her hands. "A'right. I'll start from the beginnin'."

Gambit raised an eyebrow, but sat silently.

"About two months after the Days of Future Past event, Director Fury approached Professor Xavier." Rogue started. This was a lie. She had approached Fury with the plan and Fury had in turn approached Wolverine, who had approached Xavier. "It took some convincin', but Xavier finally agreed to the mission. Only Xavier, Fury, and Logan know what I'm really doin'. Oh, and X does, probably. I feel I left enough hints."

Gambit cocked an eyebrow, but remained silent. Rogue continued.

"We had a lot to prepare for. We needed a plan of action on getting' in, how t' take down Magneto, contingency plans out of Yazoo...we needed drugs, weapons, communication devices, everything a normal spy would need." Rogue had the urge to yelp out "I'm a spy!" to Gambit, but she couldn't. _God_ she hated keeping secrets.

"So that's the plan?" Gambit asked after a moment of silence made it clear Rogue wouldn't be continuing. "Take down Magneto and what…take 'im to S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

"Exactly." Rogue replied. "I also get to cripple Genosha."

Gambit nodded. "One thing doesn't make any sense, no matter which way I turn it. When you first came up with this plan, Magneto was still working with y'all."

Rogue smiled, as if Gambit had said something so stupid it was amusing. "We all knew, Fury and I, a-and the Institute, that Magneto would eventually return to his old ways. We needed a plan."

Gambit nodded. "So how long should this take?" he asked. "Not that I don' want you 'round, _Cherie_, but this is a very dangerous task."

"Five months at most." Rogue replied. "I need to build up Magneto's trust, get any plans he may have for future attacks, as well as the plans in case Genosha falls, then I can take 'im down and return to the Institute."

Gambit let a smile come to his face.

"What?" Rogue demanded.

"You look very cute when you're thinkin'." Gambit replied, resting his chin on the chair. "I wish I could kiss you."

Rogue nodded and looked at the ground. Suddenly she perked up. "Maybe you can…"

"What?" Gambit asked, sitting up.

Rogue began feeling around inside of her trench-coat. "Beast…err…McCoy made some power-dampeners. I can give 'em to you and you'll be invulnerable to my power for nine hours and eleven minutes."

"Odd amount of time." Gambit noted.

"The limits of modern science." Rogue responded. She pulled something out of her trench coat and grabbed Gambit's arm, jabbing him with it.

"Ouch!" he exclaimed.

Rogue grabbed his collar and hauled him up, pressing her lips to his. Gambit's eyes widened. No power drain. He smiled and pushed himself into the kiss, wrapping his arms around her, tugging her full figure against his masculine one. Rogue moaned into his mouth, slipping her tongue in. Gambit grinned and clenched her butt, pushing her trench-coat off with one hand. Rogue grabbed his hands and led them up to her neck, helping his fingers find that zipper at the top of her uniform. He grabbed it and tugged downwards, peeling the uniform away from her body. The pale skin of her back was illuminated by the white light. Gambit took her figure in, never tiring of it, then pressed his lips to hers again.  
>-<p>

Jubilee groaned. Her head felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer to it with a vengeance. The last time she had felt like this, she had tried to take on the Danger Room solo on extreme difficulty. _Ouch_. That made her head hurt even more just thinking about it.

The punk-rock girl tried to sit up, but found she was restrained to a table. She tugged at her wrists, but saw they were strapped down to a cold, silver, metal bed by two thick blue leather cuffs. Her feet had been given the same treatment. She turned and looked around. Jean, Scott, Xavier, Laura, Lorna, Lyla, Amara and Kitty were all strapped in as well, all of them except Lorna and Lyla slowly waking up.

Jubilee took a look around the room. It was old, the formerly white walls, ceiling, and floors were now gray and covered in a coat of grime that had been scrubbed away for scientific purposes, but still showed the years of abandonment. The lights that had once been bright and white were now a faded, dull, flickering yellow. The eight metal tables were scrunched together in the middle of the room, the lights illuminating the figures of the X-Men. There was a workspace and set of cabinets that stretched the wall facing the mutants. The tabletop was a blue rock, one that Jubilee couldn't place, but it along with the glass cabinets and rows of scientific equipment helped sell the look of "Mad Scientist Lair".

There was a small commotion going on at the end of the row of metal tables. Jean and Scott had woken up. Scott was lying on the outside, Jean next to him on the inside and the Professor next to her. Scott and Jean were conversing.

"Jean! Yo!" Jubilee shouted. "Get us out!"

"I can't!" Jean replied.

That's when Jubilee noticed the metal band around her head. As she looked around, she saw every other mutant had one on their heads. She flicked her fingers to try and create a spark, but instead, her hand began aching like her head.

"Ah! God!" she exclaimed.

"That's going to hurt my dear…" a new voice said, entering the room.

The man who walked in made Jubilee recoil in disgust, and she made her opinion known with a sound that made others cringe. The man who had walked in matched the description the other mutants had given about the man who attacked the school. He had called himself "Mr. Sinister". Jubilee believed he should have called himself "Mr. God-Am-I-Ugly".

He had white skin, not Caucasian, but _white_. The skin was flaky, dry, and as white as his lab coat. There was a large gash on his shoulder that exposed muscle and tissue beneath, the red and pink contrasting sharply with the whiteness of his appearance. There was another scar on his lower left cheek. The entire inside of his mouth could be seen and the muscles that kept his jaw working were visible as well. He kept licking them, probably to keep them moisturized, but it was creepy. He had black, soulless eyes and hair as dark as ash. It was thin hair, but slicked back over his head. His teeth were stained yellow and black. His smile was cold and cruel.

When he spoke, a chill ran up Jubilee's spine. It wasn't a natural chill either; it was more of a supernatural chill, one you got before a ghost walked right through you. His voice was as soft as a graveyard, smooth like black oil, sharp like a knife, cool and calculating. This man had some sinister ideas in his head and he knew how to execute them.

"Dr. Essex," Charles started, but Mr. Sinister cut him off.

"Your negotiating isn't going to help you this time, Professor Xavier." Sinister replied.

"What the hell do you want?" Jubilee demanded, struggling with her restraints to see if he would flinch. He didn't.

Sinister picked up Jubilee's iPod and watched her eyes follow it with concern. He fiddled with it, running his finger over it, tracing the apple logo on the back. "Merely to borrow your powers." He replied.

"Nutcase." Jubilee muttered. "Put that down, _right now_!"

Sinister smiled and looked at her. "You're not even the least bit interested in _why_ I want your powers?"

"Because you're a power-hungry jackass?" Jubilee demanded. "Duh! Now _put the damn iPod down_!"

Sinister kept his eyes locked on her. Jubilee was attempting to keep his attention while Laura worked her way free of the restraints. If anyone could get out, it was Laura. Her or Rogue…Jubilee's mind flickered to the Belle for a second before remembering the sting of betrayal.

"Yes, I suppose "power-hungry" is one way to put it…" Sinister smiled. He crushed the iPod in his fist and Amara growled, struggling with her blue restraints.

"When I get free…" Jubilee growled. "I swear to God I'm going to kill you."

Sinister laughed, something cold and icy, almost inhuman. His laugh was a mixture of fingernails on a chalkboard and ice rattling around in a metal bucket.

"Well, I guess I'm lucky, because there is no way you're getting free!" Sinister replied. He turned around and started humming something, fiddling with equipment on the table. He grabbed a pair of large blue rubber gloves and pulled them over his hands with a loud and drawn out "snap!"

"Hold still, Mr. Summers. Things will be much better for you very soon." Sinister said, walking over to Scott and grabbing his forehead, forcing him to turn his head.

"Sinister!" Scott shouted, but Sinister rammed the needle he had in his hand into Scott's neck and withdrew some blood. He smiled, flicked the container once and swayed back across the room, setting the vial down gently and grabbing another one, this one filled with a glowing blue liquid. Sinister smiled, still humming to himself, and twirled back across the room next to Scott. He pulled a cotton ball from his lab coat, dipped it in alcohol, and rubbed it on Scott's arm.

"When that fucking mutant bird bombed Worthington Labs and tied me to a table…" Sinister started, dabbing at Scott's arm as if it were a canvas and the alcohol was paint. "Most of the Cure was destroyed. Worthington, by luck, had taken one vial home with him to stare at and ogle or something. After the bombing, he didn't trust it anywhere but with him, so he tucked it in his coat pocket before coming to terminate me at the hospital!"

Sinister spat and Scott recoiled in disgust. Sinister smiled and pulled a rag out of his pocket, dabbing the spit off of Scott carefully.

"I woke up, thankfully, and…well…worked my way out of the hospital. Imagine my joy and surprise at learning Worthington's sample had survived! My greatest achievement, right there! I took it, brought it here, and took a small sample, right over there on the table—" Sinister pointed to a cylinder on the counter. "So I could have something to make more with. Before I go and make shit-loads of it though, I need to know it works."

"Scott!" Jean exclaimed weakly.

"Now Mr. Summers here has a strange condition, much like your friend—ah, my bad—_former_ friend Rogue does: he can't control his powers. I hear from a good source that this plagues many mutants and that they would rather not have their powers than be unable to control them."

"I swear to God if you touch me—"

"Tsk, tsk, Mr. Summers." Sinister clucked. "I'm doing you a favor, really!"

Sinister slid the needle into Scott's arm and pulled the trigger. The blue liquid left the tank and flooded into Scott's bloodstream. Scott shuddered like he was cold only once, then lay still. Sinister bent down and removed the sunglasses from Scott's face.

"Scott?" Jean asked, tears in her eyes.

Scott turned and looked at her, his eyes were brown, like his hair, a soft brown like the fur on a teddy bear.

"No!" Jean exclaimed. "SINISTER!" she shouted, the restraints rattling, the veins in her eyes flickering with fire.

"You're next, Ms. Grey." Sinister said, heading towards the counter to grab another empty vial.

Something made a soft poof sound, like someone falling on a pile of fabric, and the far end of the room was filled with orange flashes of light, almost like sparkles. When the light dissipated, a young woman was standing there.

She looked to be in her late teens, early twenties. She had short, stunning, spiky red hair with orange streaks in it. Her face was round, with a pointy chin. Red marks dashed her face, pointing in towards her eyes, nose, mouth, and chin. She was wearing a dark red body-suit with yellow-orange armor plates over the red. The armor plates covered her chest, abdomen, and shoulders as well as her groin, thighs, calves, kneecaps, and ankles. She had on combat boots of a darker red variant from the rest of her costume. Over all of this she wore a red trench-coat with a high collar, folded over ends of her sleeves like the suit had been designed for someone with much longer arms, and the bottom was shredded like bird feathers, flowing over the ground. Her form looked strangely familiar to Jubilee, but she couldn't place it.

The girl held out her hands as if she had lost her balance on a narrow beam before letting them fall to her side. She looked around at the room and glanced at the computer, running her finger over the console.

"Screens? So retro…" she muttered.

Mr. Sinister, along with the rest of the X-Men, was completely speechless. He just stared at the red-haired girl as she stared around the room before her eyes fell on the X-Men, then on Mr. Sinister. She glanced at Jean and flashed a smile. Jean stared at her, something about her…Not _her_, the costume!

"Scott!" Jean whispered.

"What?" Scott asked.

"I know her!"

"You do?"

"Well not her, but that costume! That's my costume!"

"It is?"

"Yeah!"

Scott glanced at the new girl. "She kind of looks like you."

The new girl seemed completely oblivious to the conversation between the two adults. She glanced around for a second more as if the environment were completely alien to her, then stepped towards Mr. Sinister who was just now regaining some composure.

"Mr. Sinister I assume?" she asked.

"Yes…" Sinister replied, still stunned by her arrival.

The new girl smiled. "I'm going to make you a deal, Sinister, one you really don't deserve. You let them go, I'll let you go."

Sinister stared at her, not in shock, but in confusion. Who was this girl to confront him?

"Let me counter: you lie down on the table and I'll make your procedure as painless as possible. Continue to piss me off—"

Sinister slid back a few inches. He looked down at his feet, then back up at the girl. He stared at her and she smirked, a previously unseen yellow tattoo over her left eye glowing. Sinister seemed startled. He held up his hand, directing a telekinetic blast at her, but she held up her hands and deflected it.

"Times up, offer expired." The girl smiled, a sound of joy in her voice. She raised her right hand and thrust them forward, throwing Sinister across the room and into a wall. He was pinned against it. The yellow tattoo's brightness increased and the girl raised her left hand thrusting forward again. The wall cracked and Sinister flew through it. Five more cracks were heard. The girl lowered her arms, letting them fall to her sides again. The tattoo disappeared. A faint crumbling was heard in the distance and the girl sighed.

"This time, Sinister…" she muttered. She turned and with a wave of her hand undid all of the restraints on the X-Men.

"X-23, take Lyla, Amara take Lorna, everyone else gather around and put a hand on me." She ordered.

"What?" Jubilee demanded. "I don't know who you are, there's no way in hell I'm touching you!"

The girl laughed. "I did just save your life."

"How do we know you aren't going to take us somewhere worse?"

"Jubilee, hush." Kitty shushed. She stood up and stretched her arms, popping her joints before turning. "Oh! What about the Professor?"

"I've got him." The girl replied. She lifted a hand and morphed the metal sheet into a chair-like form. Xavier let out a sound of exclamation and clenched the metal.

"Don't worry, Prof. I got you." The girl said, smiling reassuringly. She levitated the older man next to the rest of the group and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Everybody on?" she asked.

Confirmations came from around the group.

"Good, which school?"

"Which school?" Amara asked.

"Wow, this really is a long time ago. Xavier Institute it is!"

With that, the X-Men and the mysterious stranger disappeared in another flash of orange light.  
>-<p>

-  
><strong>X-Men: Standing Guard will Return Shortly<br>-**


	13. S2E02 Grey Areas Epilogue

The X-Men, Jean, Scott, Xavier, Lyla, Lorna, Amara, Laura, Kitty, and Jubilee appeared in the entrance hall of the Xavier Institute in a flurry of orange sparkles and lights. There was some commotion as the X-Men broke apart from the teleportation, which had been surprisingly smooth, and tried to straighten themselves up. Storm entered from the other room.

"Bobby! Rahne! Everyone come down here right now!" she shouted. She walked over to Xavier. "Are you all right? What happened to your wheelchair?"

"There was a bit of an incident." Charles smiled. "Luckily, our new ally helped us out."

"Lorna!" Bobby exclaimed, hopping over the stairway and gliding down a slope of ice to the green-haired mutant. He grabbed her, embracing her tightly, pressing his face into her hair, breathing the sweet scent of apple shampoo.

"Rahne! Go get the Professor's chair!" Storm ordered. "The two of you to the infirmary now. We're getting you checked out."

"I should probably go, too." Scott said, reaching up and taking off the ruby-red glasses he had grabbed before leaving the lab.

"Scott!" Storm exclaimed, followed by the rest of the X-Men.

"Well the cure works." Scott said dryly.

"All of you! Now!" Storm ordered.

"Wait," Lyla said, turning. "Who's our mysterious helper?"

Everyone turned to look at the girl.

"And how did you get that costume?" Jean demanded.

"You gave it to me." The girl replied simply with a smile.

"What? I've never told anyone about that costume!"

"Oh, right, that's not for…quite a while."

"What?" Amara asked.

Laura had already put the pieces together. "You are a time traveler, are you not?"

"Give this girl a prize." The red-head replied.

"So when do you hail from?"

"Depends, what's the date, year included please."

Charles gave the date.

"Oops! I travelled back farther than I thought!" the girl exclaimed. "I'm from about twenty-five years in the future."

"What are you doing back here? Do we need to stop another apocalyptical future?" Kitty asked. "The last time didn't go so well."

The girl smiled. "No, I just came back to visit the X-Men when they had a full roster."

The X-Men glanced at each other. Full roster? How desolate was the future?

As if reading their thoughts, the girl replied "Oh don't worry, everything's fine in the future."

The girl stood there and glanced around. "So where are the guest quarters?"

"Wait," Amara said. "Shouldn't we at least know your name?"

"Oh, apologies." The girl replied, smiling. She did an elaborate bow and said "Rachel Grey, at your service."

Shock rippled through the room, as well as some recognition. The X-Men had _thought_ she looked familiar.

"Wait, did you say your name was—" Scott asked.

"Yep," Rachel replied, turning to Jean. "I'm your daughter!"


	14. S2E05 Force (FULL)

**WARNING: The following episode contains scenes that may be disturbing to some readers after the events of the Boston Marathon Bombing.  
>-<strong>

**-  
>AN: I guess this is this season's "fluff episode", mostly setting up for the rest of the season and the mid-season finale. Going with the theme all the way from Episode 3, the events of this episode happen immediately after Episode 4, and next week's episode will take place two weeks after the events of this episode. Next week is also the mid-season finale!<strong>  
>-<p>

-  
>The crowded sidewalks of New York City were a host to many kinds of people. African-Americans, Asians, tall people, short people, fat people, skinny people, and plenty of average people. Hundreds of people shuffled down the cold concrete of New York City. It was the first week of December, after all of the hype from Black Friday had finished.<p>

Cars packed the streets, many taxi cabs, some limos, some just regular vehicles. Bikers weaved in and out of traffic, breathing in the cold air, letting it fill their lungs. After so long in such a cold environment, their lungs had gotten used to the frigid air and noxious exhaust from the vehicles.

A hooded woman, shrouded beneath the shadow of her white hoodie, stopped near a garbage can and glanced around before dumping a green parcel into the garbage can. She looked up the street. A young man in the same colored hoodie glanced at her and nodded. The small girl across the street and the tall, skinny man across from her nodded as well. The woman turned and picked up a pay-phone, dialing 911.

"911, what's your emergency?" a bored voice came over the line.

"We are the Morlocks." The woman whispered, still looking around. "This is for the mutants."

Silence on the other end. The woman set down the phone without hanging it up and continued to walk with the crowd down the street. As soon as she was confident the rest of her team was clear, she pulled out a cell-phone and dialed a number, smiling and turning to watch as flames erupted from the garbage can, littering the street with explosives. Boom, boom, boom, boom. Four explosions rocked New York City. A piece of shrapnel caught the fuel tank of a taxi and it exploded as well, flipping onto the sideway, crushing civilians. Police sirens screamed in the distance and Calypso grinned, turning and walking off, disappearing into thin air.  
>-<p>

"Ya slackin' _mon amour_." Gambit called, hurdling a wall. The Cajun was wearing his usual battle outfit: purple body armor covering his legs and torso with a thick brown trench-coat pulled over that. Unlike Rogue, who was wearing a sweater and yoga pants, Gambit had "an allergy to da cold" and was shivering even inside the insulated Worthington Labs building on Genosha.

"Oh yeah?" Rogue challenged, sliding under the barrier, rolling, and leaping over Gambit's head, snatching his ear-muffs off.

"Hey!" he shouted. "I'm cold!"

Rogue laughed and placed them over her ears, smiling and sighing at the warmth and softness.

Gambit made a playful growl and picked up his pace, darting after her. There was a wall coming up and Rogue would have to slow down. The wall was ten feet tall. Gambit pulled out his staff, planning to vault over the wall and take the lead again. Rogue surprised everyone though when she jumped, kicked off the obstacle wall onto the outside wall, kicked off of that and landed on the top of the obstacle wall before kicking off of that, jumping to the other side and rolling to brace her fall. Gambit stared in shock and ran flat into the wall, forgetting to stop of pole vault.

The viewers of this race between lovers: Pyro, Blink, and Toad burst out laughing. Rogue slid to a stop and walked over to the groaning Cajun who was clutching his head.

"Ouch."

"Hey, gumbo." Rogue called. "There's a wall there."

"Sorry, was lookin' at som'un else." Gambit replied with a smile.

Rogue smirked at him and extended a hand. He took it, but instead of hoisting himself up, pulled Rogue down on top of him, her clothed body landing on his with an "oof!" Rogue giggled and wrapped her arms around him. Gambit wrapped an arm around her and for a moment they enjoyed the touch. The Rogue got off of him and stood up. Gambit reached for his staff when something strange happened. The second his finger landed on the staff, it turned a brilliant shade of magenta and started quivering.

"Down!" Gambit yelled, his instincts taking over. He tackled Rogue to the ground as the staff exploded. He rolled off of her and she sat up, staring at the black burn mark on the rubber track.

"Looks like Gambit's a little excited!" Pyro called. He high-fived Blink and Toad, laughing.

"Woops." Gambit smiled. Rogue giggled and stood up, heading to the showers to go wash off. Gambit returned the smile, but stared in concern at where the staff had been, then at his hand.  
>-<p>

The X-Men, Jean, Scott, Xavier, Lyla, Lorna, Amara, Laura, Kitty, and Jubilee appeared in the entrance hall of the Xavier Institute in a flurry of orange sparkles and lights. There was some commotion as the X-Men broke apart from the teleportation, which had been surprisingly smooth, and tried to straighten themselves up. Storm entered from the other room.

"Bobby! Rahne! Everyone come down here right now!" she shouted. She walked over to Xavier. "Are you all right? What happened to your wheelchair?"

"There was a bit of an incident." Charles smiled. "Luckily, our new ally helped us out."

"Lorna!" Bobby exclaimed, hopping over the stairway and gliding down a slope of ice to the green-haired mutant. He grabbed her, embracing her tightly, pressing his face into her hair, breathing the sweet scent of apple shampoo.

"Rahne! Go get the Professor's chair!" Storm ordered. "The two of you to the infirmary now. We're getting you checked out."

"I should probably go, too." Scott said, reaching up and taking off the ruby-red glasses he had grabbed before leaving the lab.

"Scott!" Storm exclaimed, followed by the rest of the X-Men.

"Well the cure works." Scott said dryly.

"All of you! Now!" Storm ordered.

"Wait," Lyla said, turning. "Who's our mysterious helper?"

Everyone turned to look at the girl.

"And how did you get that costume?" Jean demanded.

"You gave it to me." The girl replied simply with a smile.

"What? I've never told anyone about that costume!"

"Oh, right, that's not for…quite a while."

"What?" Amara asked.

Laura had already put the pieces together. "You are a time traveler, are you not?"

"Give this girl a prize." The red-head replied.

"So when do you hail from?"

"Depends, what's the date, year included please."

Charles gave the date.

"Oops! I travelled back farther than I thought!" the girl exclaimed. "I'm from about twenty-five years in the future."

"What are you doing back here? Do we need to stop another apocalyptical future?" Kitty asked. "The last time didn't go so well."

The girl smiled. "No, I just came back to visit the X-Men when they had a full roster."

The X-Men glanced at each other. Full roster? How desolate was the future?

As if reading their thoughts, the girl replied "Oh don't worry, everything's fine in the future."

The girl stood there and glanced around. "So where are the guest quarters?"

"Wait," Amara said. "Shouldn't we at least know your name?"

"Oh, apologies." The girl replied, smiling. She did an elaborate bow and said "Rachel Grey, at your service."

Shock rippled through the room, as well as some recognition. The X-Men had _thought_ she looked familiar.

"Wait, did you say your name was—" Scott asked.

"Yep," Rachel replied, turning to Jean. "I'm your daughter!"

-  
><strong>X-Men: Standing Guard<br>Season 2 Episode Five  
>"Force"<br>**-

Every member of the Xavier Institute was gathered in the Dark Room awaiting the verdict of whether or not their mysterious savior was in fact the daughter of Jean and Scott from the future. This many people hadn't been in the Dark Room at one time since Days of Future Past. Rachel's body was currently being scanned by a machine and her DNA was running through a computer program to determine whether or not she was truly the daughter of an X-Man.

Jean and Scott stood next to her, acting just as parents would. They were still as surprised at the news as anyone else, but their parental instincts had kicked in and now they refused to leave Rachel's side. Amara, Lorna, Lyla, and Bobby were currently in the Infirmary with Storm getting checked out. Jubilee and Laura stood to the side, chatting, Rahne and Roberto stood hand in hand a few feet away and Jubilee shot them nasty looks whenever possible. Charles sat near the computer, staring intently as data streamed in. Beast was on his way to double-check their findings, but Charles decided to trust whatever came from the computer first. Several of the younger X-Men had returned home to their families after the attack on the school. Kitty stood near the Summers. Something drew her to them.

The computer beeped and everyone looked at it. Charles typed on the keyboard before turning and pressing a blue button. The cover to the scanner lifted and Rachel stumbled out, coughing at the difference in air. Charles read the readout before turning and smiling. "I believe congratulations are in order."

The room burst into applause. For the first time, Jean and Scott hugged their daughter. Rachel burst into a smile and hugged them in return.

"The computer confirms her DNA is a match to both yours and Jean's, Scott, and I've done a telepathic sweep. From what she showed me, she is indeed from the future."

"From what she showed you?" Jean asked.

Charles smiled and glanced at Rachel. "It seems she has inherited your very strong telepathic abilities, improved upon them, and had intensive training. She is very good."

Jean smiled and hugged her daughter.

Recognition came over Kitty and she opened her mouth to say something when a small voice itched the back of her mind.

'_Do not mention seeing me in the time-stream, Kitty.*'_ Rachel's voice came softly. Rachel stared at Kitty intently from her embrace. _'I will explain everything later, I promise, but it is critical you do not speak of seeing me.'_

Kitty closed her mouth and eyed the red-head carefully. She nodded slightly.

Amara darted in the room.

"Guys! Mutant bombing! Morlocks are claiming responsibility!"  
>-<p>

Laura glanced at her phone, tapping the black outer casing with her fingernail, making a "knack, knack, knack" noise. She moved from sitting on her bed to lying on it, staring at the ceiling, her hands on her forehead, as if taking her own temperature. She pushed her straight brown hair away from her face and ran her fingers through it. Jullian had stopped calling by the time they had gotten back to the Xavier Institute. She had tried to call him, but Jubilee had insisted she wait for him to call. Laura did not understand this logic, nor attempted to. It was something to do with pride, but not war-pride like she was used to. This pride was new and unexplained to her.

Laura stood up, fixing the strap of her black tank-top and walked onto the balcony outside of her and Amara's room. She stood, staring into the afternoon sun, the cold December wind blowing her hair, stinging her face. Storm clouds were on the horizon and she could smell the snow on its way. She sighed, glanced at her phone one more time, then tucked it into the back pocket of her jeans and turned to walk back inside when it rang. Laura reached into her back pocket desperately and pulled the phone out in the blink of an eye. Her finger went to hit the answer button, but paused, hesitatingly. What if he truly was angry at her? She could not handle that. It would be too devastating.

Laura took a deep breath, risked happiness, and hit the answer button. She slowly raised it to her ear, pushing some more of her straight brown hair out of the way.

"Hello?" she asked, unsure of the response she would get.

"Laura? Thank God! Why haven't you been answering my calls!"

This was not what Laura was expecting. "I-uh-was preoccupied with a mission. I apologize."

"No, that's fine. Are you alright? After what happened at school today—"

"I apologize for lying to you." Laura said, turning towards the balcony and standing straight, staring into the sun like a soldier, one hand on the phone, one behind her back.

"Lying? What?" Jullian asked.

"About being a mutant." Laura replied, nearly stumbling over the word mutant, but fortunately not.

"What? That's fine! I just want to see if you are okay!"

"You are not angry?"

"Angry? Of course not! How could I be angry at you?"

Laura smiled and loosened up. Perhaps Jubilee was right…

"So it does not bother you to learn I am a mutant?"

"I mean, it took my by shock, of course. But I don't care about any abilities you have, I care about _you_, the person _you_ are."

Laura smiled again, closing her eyes and enjoying the warmth of the sun on her skin in the cold weather. She leaned against the metal railing; it was ice cold, but the fact barely grabbed at her attention.

"I really wish I could kiss you right now." Laura spurted out.

"Me too," Jullian responded. "Where are you?"

For some reason, Laura grinned wickedly. "How far are you?"

"I'm at my house." Jullian responded.

"Movie?" Laura asked.

"Absolutely." Jullian replied.

"I will be there in ten minutes." Laura grinned, hanging up the phone and bursting into a wide grin. She made a noise that sounded like a happy squeal and spun, her hair spinning with her to find Amara staring at her like she had grown a third eyeball. Laura froze.

"Be where in ten minutes?" Amara asked. "And why do you look so…so…_giddy_?"

Laura kept the phone carefully hidden. "I have a…meeting to attend."

"A meeting?" Amara asked, folding her arms over her chest.

"Yes," Laura replied. "I need to dress. Excuse me."

Amara continued to stare at her strangely, but moved and allowed the brunette to dress. What the hell was this girl up to?  
>-<p>

"Yeah, look, Kate, S.H.I.E.L.D. is going to be all over this bombing. If you go near it, they're going to try and figure out your identity again. Trust me, we've got this." Kitty said.

"Speaking of identity crisis," Kate Bishop replied on the other end of the line. "What did I tell you about Rogue?"

"No need to rub it in." Kitty replied bitterly. "She was a friend. She was acting really strange, talking about secrets and trusting her…"

"Yeah, well, we see where that went."

"Alright! Just say I told you so and get it over with!"

"I told you so."

Kitty smiled wryly. "Alright. You have fun with your boyfriend this week. Eli, I think?"

Before Kate could protest, Kitty hung up the phone and snickered. Served her right, too. Piotr walked into the room, dressed in a tight black T-shirt and jeans.

"Hey Piotr!" Kitty grinned.

"Who was dat on the phone?" Piotr asked in his heavy voice.

"Nobody," Kitty smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck. "It's good to see you survived the Danger Room session."

Kitty kissed him gently on the lips. He smirked. "You never said they were lethal." He muttered into her lips.

"Did I forget that?" Kitty smirked, pressing her lips to his again.

Piotr grinned and put a hand under her butt, lifting her up. Kitty wrapped her legs around Piotr's waist.

"There's an e-mail from Illyana about Sentinels." Kitty muttered.

"Read it later." Piotr replied, walking towards the bed. Kitty grinned, tangling her fingers in his black hair. He pressed his lips to her neck and she giggled.  
>-<p>

A S.H.I.E.L.D. Heli-Carrier hovered over New York City, bringing itself to bear over the Empire State Building. The massive floating battle-station had arrived in New York City on the orders of Director Nick Fury. After the Morlock bombing, the populous and government were in an outrage. President Kelly, declaring New York in a "state of emergency", had sent the Coast Guard armed with mutant detectors from the original Sentinel Program, and special, non-lethal weapons. While Kelly was against mutants, he did realize killing one would be very bad P.R.

Hellier Jets and Quin Jets launched from the Heli-Carrier. The Quin-Jets could hold more cargo and passengers, and flew down near the roped off crime scene. It hovered for a moment, kicking up trash, then touched down. The boarding ramp lowered and Nick Fury, his dark trench coat waving in the wind, stepped off and looked around. Half a dozen heavily armed S.H.I.E.L.D. agents disembarked as well. The NYPD was doing a good job of keeping the civilians behind the yellow tape. Hellier Jets screeched overhead, beginning patrols through and around the city.

Fury walked up to a white-haired man standing there dressed in a full blue Captain's suit.

"Captain Stacy," Fury greeted, extending a hand. "Good work keeping the civilians back."

Stacy shook his hand. "Thank you, Director. Anything to help."

"Have your men scanned the area?" Fury asked, turning to look at the empty street.

"No, sir. We evacuated the area and did a preliminary test for more bombs, but it seems there was only the four. We've left the rest to you." Stacy replied.

"Thank you," Fury smiled. He tapped his ear comm as he walked away. "S.H.I.E.L.D. C.I.s get down here now!"  
>-<p>

The S.H.I.E.L.D. Hellier Jets that were screeching around the city had one disadvantage, they couldn't see underground. At the moment, the Morlocks were creeping around the sewers beneath the New York Presbyterian Hospital. They planted packages of C4 beneath the building, some sneaking into the basement. There was a scuffle and Calypso paused. It was a small squad of mutants she had brought. She gestured for them to be quiet and pulled a rifle off of her back. There was a tense moment, then the two mutants returned.

"What happened?" Calypso demanded.

"Guard caught us! We had to slit his throat! We need to jet!" The limestone mutant responded.

"Go!" Calypso urged. She planted a final bomb and darted off after her comrades. She held out her hand and the little girl with the inflated arm handed her a phone. Calypso dialed 911.

"911, what is your emergency?"

"FOR MUTANTS!" Calypso shouted, and pressed the detonator.  
>-<p>

A loud explosion sounded in the distance. Fury and Stacy whirled. Their comms burst with activity.

"This is HJ-341 acknowledging explosion at New York Presbyterian Hospital. Moving in."

"Captain Stacy! Someone called 911 about the time of the explosion and declared it for mutants!"

"All units to nymph!" Stacy yelled, using slang for the hospital. "Go! Go! Go!"

"Fury to all fighters, do your rounds. How did we miss them?"  
>-<p>

Jullian was waiting by the door of the theater. He looked cold, Laura thought. He was wearing a black shirt and a school jacket, black with green sleeves. His dark jeans clung to his frame. His messy black hair blew in the wind. He looked strong, yet compassionate.

Laura was dressed in black leather pants, insulated and armored, she had stolen them from her uniform and simply removed the orange stripes. She had on a yellow turtleneck and her usual black motorcycle jacket. She had combed and straightened her hair as well as borrowed some of Amara's makeup, which had been rather difficult because the teen had been practically watching her every move.

The snow was starting to fall and the wind blew it into Laura's and Jullian's faces. She smiled when she saw him and darted over, hugging him tightly. He smiled and put a gloved hand on her cheek, pressing his lips to hers. Laura wrapped her arms around his neck and twisted her fingers into his hair. He rested his hands on her lower back, pushing her stomach into his. She smiled and pulled away.

"I can see you really meant what you said." She whispered softly, snow falling into her hair.

Jullian grinned. "Of course I did." He kissed her again.

Laura opened her mouth to say something, but instead, snowflakes flew inside and she gagged on the intake of powdery ice. Jullian laughed. "They're snowflakes, silly! Catch one on your tongue!"

Laura looked at him curiously, but stuck out her tongue and caught one. It was cold, and yet somehow sweet. She looked at him with a new enthusiasm in her eyes and Jullian laughed.

"Alright, it's cold. Let's go inside." He said. He offered her his arm and Laura slid hers into his. Jullian led her inside the theater and up to the concessions stand.

"What are we here to see?" Laura asked.

"Some DC Comics Movie." Jullian replied. "Superman or Batman or something."

Laura had heard briefly of these characters. Sandy, Banshee, was a huge fan of the _Arrow_ and _Flash_ TV series and was, as Amara described her, "a total geek".

Jullian handed her a ticket and glanced at the candy. "What do you want? Ooh! They've got pickle pop-corn. You want to try that?"

"I have never—" Laura was about to say she had never had a pickle, then she remembered the disgusting one that Rogue had given her and changed to "—tasted that before. I would like to give it a try."

Jullian smiled and ordered a large popcorn and a large drink. They walked up to the ticket stand and Laura handed hers to the man, passing by. Jullian was right beside her until the man stopped Jullian. "Sorry, kid. Gotta see a ticket."

"Oh." Jullian said. "I put it in my pocket." He glanced at the coke in one hand and the popcorn in the other. "Umm…"

"Here." Laura said, sticking her hand into his pocket and pulling out the ticket. Jullian raised his eyebrows. The man smiled and showed them the room where the movie was playing. The two headed down the hallway.

"That was so hot." Jullian whispered to Laura.

"What?" Laura asked.

"That whole ticket thing." Jullian replied. "So damn hot."

It took Laura a few seconds to realize what he was referring to, and when she did, she blushed sharply. She almost stumbled out an apology, but decided to instead, slip a finger back in and allow him to lead her from there. He raised his eyebrows but kept his mouth shut.

Laura yawned.

"Someone's tired." Jullian smiled, walking up the stairs while a preview for _The Equalizer_ blared behind them.

"I have not gotten much sleep recently." Laura admitted.

"Oh." Jullian asked. "Do you need to go home and sleep? I don't want to keep you out—"

"I asked you out, remember?" Laura asked, digging her finger unconsciously harder into his pocket. "I-" Laura yawned again. "I am fine."

Jullian looked at her. "If you need to go to sleep, that's fine."

"No, I can stay awake." Laura replied. "It is not as if this is the first time I have had to do so." An image of HYDRA soldiers and vials of disgusting fluid on the shelves. Laura shook the image out of her head.

Jullian set the coke down in a drink holder and sat down, Laura removing her finger from his pocket and instead, resting it on his thigh. Jullian struggled to focus on her and not her hand. "If you need to rest, that's fine."

"No, I do not need to rest." Laura replied. "I wish to spend time with you."

Jullian smiled and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, tugging her head to rest on his chest. Laura drummed out little patterns on his thigh, smiling at the reaction she got.

The lights dimmed for the official previews and Laura yawned quietly. She _was_ very tired. Jullian was here, his warmth flowing into her. There was something so peaceful about this place. She decided to close her eyes until the previews were over, so that she could focus on the movie.

Before the third trailer was over, Laura had fallen asleep.  
>-<p>

"_X-23"_

_Laura was in the maze again. Its white walls stained with blood. She was herself in this dream, dressed in the clothes she was wearing in the real world. She was no longer a ten year old in a nightgown or an eleven year old in an assassin suit. She was herself. And that was what terrified her._

_The voice that spoke was hollow, empty of any humanity. It echoed throughout the maze in a way that signified not only Laura's complete aloneness, but also the power from the being who spoke._

"_X-23." It repeated. _

"_Who are you?" Laura demanded._

"_We are your creators, your rulers, and your controllers."_

"_I am controlled by no one! Ruled by no one! You may have created me, but I am my own person!"_

"_WRONG!" The voice yelled loudly, hissing back. "YOU ARE OURS!"_

"_NO!" Laura shouted. _

"_You will join us, soon, X-23." The voice came, much more peaceful now._

"_Who are you?" Laura demanded again._

"_You will come to us, to complete your creation and your training."_

"_Who the hell are you?" Laura yelled, looking around for the source of the voice, but instead found only shifting greens on the walls._

"_Then you will be ours! Join us!"_

"_No!"_

"_Kill for us!"_

"_No!"_

"_Leave what you have learned and join us!"_

"_NO!"_

"_Out of the shadows, into the light!"_

"_Show yourself!" Laura demanded, her mental condition about to snap. "Show yourself! Fight me! Come out and fight me!"_

_Someone put a hand on her shoulder and she whirled._  
>-<p>

It was Jullian. He smiled down at her. "Movie's over."

Laura glanced at the screen. White words were scrolling. She glanced at Jullian. "Did I—"

"Yeah, you slept through the whole thing." Jullian replied.

Laura had been about to ask if she had hurt anyone, but from Jullian's response, she concluded she had not. It had been close. She had almost stabbed the person in her dreams.

"I-I am sorry." Laura stuttered.

"Naw, it's fine. I liked watching you sleep." Jullian paused. "Wow that sounded creepy."

Laura smiled and shook her head. She stood up and stretched her legs and arms, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

"So," Jullian whispered, placing his arms on the sides of her waist. "Do you want to go get lost somewhere?"

Laura leaned into him and almost said yes when she remembered the close call she had just had. "No need t' tempt fate twice." Rogue had once told her.

"Mmm…not tonight." Laura said, running a finger over his chest. "But…soon."

Jullian smiled, his green eyes meeting with her brown ones. "I guess I'll see you soon?" he asked.

Laura smiled and nodded, pressing her lips to his. They stood there, attached at all points for a moment (well, _almost_ all points), then broke apart and stared at each other. Laura smiled and left Jullian at the door of the theater. She knew what she had to do.  
>-<p>

"Get this one!" Scott shouted, tossing a frisbee into the air. Rachel grinned and teleported, landing on the Frisbee with one foot and using her telekinesis to glide back to her parents.

"Easy, Scott! Let's go for two!" Rachel exclaimed.

The brown-haired man, now able to be in public without his ruby sunglasses, tossed two Frisbees into the air in two separate directions. Rachel disappeared in a flash of flames and landed on one Frisbee, grabbing the front of it, and teleporting again, settling a foot on the second Frisbee and wielding them like rocket boots. Rachel flipped in the air, swinging around at lightning speeds. She laughed, her trench-coat flapping violently in the wind, her red hair blowing out of her face. She flew past Scott, throwing his long brown hair out of his face. He laughed and tossed a third Frisbee at her. Rachel caught it with her hand and did a hand-stand in the air, her trench-coat falling near her shoulders. Jean giggled and shoved Rachel telekinetically, causing her to "fall" over in the air. Rachel laughed and zoomed at her mother, zipping past her.

Jubilee and Laura stood under the pavilion, leaning on the white railing, watching the three Summers practice. The weather was getting cold. Jubilee was wearing thick, bright yellow, fur lined pants and parka. She had the hood pulled down and her spiky brown hair fluttered in the wind. She loved the feel of the cold wind in her face, stinging her eyes and nose, burning her lungs. Laura stood next to her, dressed in the usual dark jeans, gradient blue top and black leather motorcycle jacket. Her long, straight, brown hair was pulled behind her shoulders perfectly. Laura had allowed her hair to flow over her ears to keep them somewhat insulated. Jubilee was rather impressed at Laura's resistance to the cold. Must be that HYDRA training. Rachel stumbled mid-flight, but righted herself, flying past her dad again, still laughing, but staring at the two of them.

"Pretty damn cool, huh?" Jubilee asked.

"What?" Laura asked, still watching Rachel carefully, as if trying to determine the best way to take her down.

"Rachel!" Jubilee exclaimed, glancing at the clone. "She's got teleportation, telepathy, telekinesis, can travel through time—"

"Chronokinesis." Laura stated simply.

"Yeah, whatever. And she's got those sick-ass orange tips! I need some tips in mine. What do you think? Pink?" Jubilee grabbed a strand of her hair and tried to look at it, which resulted in her acting like a dog trying to catch its own tail. Laura laughed. Jubilee ruffled her hair and Laura giggled, flattening it out once more.

The two girls turned back to watching Rachel and her parents. A concerned look came over Laura's face. Jubilee noticed.

"Sup?" she asked, leaning against the railing again.

"Something is not quite right with Rachel Grey." Laura said.

"Really?" Jubilee asked, glancing back at the newest arrival.

"Yes." Laura replied. "And I am going to get to the bottom of it."

Jubes raised an eyebrow and turned towards her. "Speaking of getting to the bottom of things, how's your investigation into Rogue going?"

"I got my answer from Professor Xavier." Laura replied.

"Really?" Jubilee asked. "What did he say?"

"Rachel! Careful! Heads up you two!" Scott shouted.

Laura's hand darted out and caught the Frisbee, tossing it back at Rachel as fast as he had thrown it. Rachel smirked, winked, and flew off. It occurred to Laura that Rachel had purposely interrupted their conversation.

"So how are you and Jullian doing?" Jubilee asked.

"We are doing fine." Laura replied.

"I hear from a reliable source that you were acting strange last night." Jubilee said with a gleam in her eye. "I didn't see a walk of shame though. Did you two-?"

"No." Laura replied. "We did not."

Jubilee nodded. "I still can't believe he hasn't pressured you yet."

"He has asked two times, both times I told him to wait and he has, seemingly patiently."

"Yes, well, don't wear out that patience." Jubes remarked, turning back to face Rachel and her parents who were talking and heading towards the pavilion.

"We will soon." Laura said. "I must do something first."

"What?" Jubilee asked, turning to look at her.

"It is inconsequential." Laura replied, waving off the question. Jean and Scott split from Rachel to do something, the three waving good-bye, and Rachel proceeded towards the pavilion.

"Stay here." Laura said, and walked towards Rachel. The red-head glanced at her. Rachel was several inches taller than Laura, but it did not phase the clone.

"Hey, Laura!" Rachel greeted.

"Who are you?" Laura demanded.

"Rachel Grey." Rachel responded.

"You are very peculiar." Laura said, tilting her head.

"I'll take that as a compliment." Rachel smiled.

"You purposely interrupted my conversation with Jubilee when I was about to mention Rogue, and you stumbled when Jubilee mentioned HYDRA." Laura said pointedly, trying to detect a quickened heart beat or elevated breathing, but she detected nothing.

Rachel stared at her. "I think you're paranoid. Go take a bath and relax, Laura." Rachel walked off. "I'm not here to hurt anyone!"  
>-<p>

"What is this? The rag-tag?" Fury whispered to Maria Hill. The X-Men, consisting of Wolfsbane, Sunspot, Pixie, and Angel walked up to the S.H.I.E.L.D. station near the ruined bottom of the bombed hospital.

"Director Fury, Angel." The blonde greeted, extending his hand. Fury shook it.

"Good to see you, Angel. Where's the rest of the X-Men?" Fury asked.

"Pre-occupied." Angel responded. "We've had a rough few days."

"Obviously." Fury responded. "I hope everyone is doing better. By the way, we detected a large amount of psychic energy and a teleportation yesterday. Everything alright?"

Angel smiled. "You'll have to take that up with the Professor."

Fury nodded.

"What's the situation, Director?"

Fury gestured at a map. "The Morlocks have hit three locations so far. As far as S.H.I.E.L.D., FBI, CIA, NYPD, and everyone else can tell, they have nothing in common. It seems the Morlocks are striking whatever attracts attention."

Wolfsbane walked up to the map and looked at it. "Hold on."

"What?" Fury asked.

"Num'er the attacks ple'se."

Fury glanced at Angel who shrugged. He dotted 1, 2, and 3 next to the dots of the attack.

"Ah, aha. Ha ha! They're smart li'l bast'rds."

"What?" Fury asked.

"It's a game we us'd t' play in me village. The goal was ter plant an object, fer us 't'was a bag o' sugar or some'n'. Anyway, y' had to plant the object and see if ye could get fer of 'em down wi'out the o'er team findin' 'em. This is what we called "baby" plan. It was so 'spected that you could sometimes get away wi't."

"Well don't keep us in the dark." Fury said. A gentle sprinkle descended on the darkening city.

"Ferst strike twas here." Rahne pointed at a point on the map. "The bakery."

Fury started to say something, but Angel gestured for him to wait.

"Sec'n' strike was here, the millhouse." Rahne tilted her head. "Funny, dat's another bakery…or…Angel, what's this buildin' fer?"

Angel looked at it. "It looks like a theater."

"What are you getting at, Wolfsbane?" Fury asked.

"When we was playin' this, we'd start at the bakery an' make our way to the windmill, the storage shed, then the farm where the wheat was grown, trackin' the bread to it's creation. This do'n't make sense tho'…"

"Ugh, rain." Pixie grumbled.

Rahne glanced at her.

"Oh, no, the weather." Pixie responded, her pink hair already getting wet.

"Fury," Sunspot asked. "What's beneath that building?"

Hill turned and pulled up a holographic map. "Emergency Services deployment."

"Aha!" Rahne exclaimed. "See, they bombed this area, that creates casualties. Then they bombed 'mergency s'rvices, that's deployment. The hospital was third, that's where the wounded go. Now, where do dead bodies go af'er the hospital?"

"City Morgue." Fury said. "Hill, dispatch squads. Good work, Wolfsbane."

The red-head grinned.  
>-<p>

"What's the point of bombing the city morgue?" The mutant constructed of limestone asked.

"It's part of a process. We kill them, we stop them from getting to the hospital, those who get to the hospital are killed by our bomb, the bodies we blow to hell. No one gets to rest in peace."

"Well," one said. "Pieces plural. _Very_ plural."

Calypso grinned.

A fire burned out of one of the sewer pipes and the mutants looked up. The Phoenix, glowing in her glory, descended upon the Morlocks.

"What are you doing?" she asked, her demonic, echoing voice ringing through the underground home.

"Striking the humans, just like you taught us!" Calypso exclaimed.

"S.H.I.E.L.D. is on to you. You need to lay low for a time." Phoenix replied, walking over to Calypso.

"No! We're just now showing them we won't stand back and suffer!"

"You will show them you can be caught and killed just as easily as them!" Phoenix growled.

"You showed us how to attack the humans." Calypso said. "We're just doing what you taught us."

"Now I am teaching you to law low. There is an important lesson to be learned here."

"Cowardice?"

"Tactical Advantages!" Phoenix snapped. "You are supposed to know that, Calypso. I can feel your body screaming for you to lay low, and you are ignoring it."

"I've been wrong before."

Phoenix's hand glowed and she grabbed Calypso around the neck. The other mutants prepared to make battle, but without a movement, Phoenix threw them all to the opposite side of the room.

"You _will stand down_!" Phoenix shouted. "Or I will feed you to them like steak to a dog."

Phoenix dropped Calypso and disappeared in a shower of flames.  
>-<p>

"Where're we goin'?" Rahne asked.

"When a disaster strikes, all of the bodies go to one city morgue. S.H.I.E.L.D. installed cryo-chambers there to keep bodies frozen so we can investigate. This has to be where the Morlocks will be." Fury replied.

"Do they even know 'bout it?" Wolfsbane asked, trying to lean up towards the front seat of the S.H.I.E.L.D. van, but Fury took a sharp turn and sent Rahne into Roberto.

"Undoubtedly." Fury replied. "All units, where is bomb squad at the morgue?"

"Unresponsive, sir."

"Damn it!"  
>-<p>

The S.H.I.E.L.D agents lay bleeding on the floor, dead or unconscious the Morlocks neither knew nor cared. In a few moments, they would be ash. Calypso had three backpacks full of C4 and the mutants were going to blow the morgue to Kingdom Come. There were only six mutants here, Calypso, Spyke, Cannonball, the girl with the inflated arm, the mutant made of limestone, and a girl with purple skin and yellow eyes.

Calypso had just planted a bomb inside a body container when the door burst open and Fury, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in Hulkbuster armor, Angel, Wolfsbane, Pixie, and Sunspot came through the door.

"So you caught on." Calypso grinned. "Good job, Director."

"Actually, 'twas me." Rahne called.

"So, you betrayed your own kind." Calypso smiled coldly. "Congratulations, Uncle Tom."

Rahne snarled and shifted to her werewolf form.

"Easy, Wolfsbane…" Angel soothed.

"Just because you caught us, Director, doesn't mean you stopped us."

"I've got a Heli-Carrier full of reasons you're wrong."

"You don't think I'm willing to die for my cause?"

"I do, but I just ordered an EMP targeted to your body. The trigger in your hand—it doesn't work."

Calypso stared at it and pressed the button. Nothing happened.

"Fine. I see she tipped you off." Calypso responded, tossing the remote onto the floor.

"Who?" Angel demanded.

"Don't play stupid. The Phoenix!"

Fury's eye widened.

"Oh. Oops." Calypso grinned. "That was one of those secrets that now I've told you—" Calypso pulled a sword off of her back. "I'm going to have to kill you."  
>-<p>

Laura walked into her room, typing a message to Jullian. There was a new Subway opening a few blocks from his house, he had asked her if she wanted to try it. Laura had almost replied she did not like sandwiches, but had found many things she had not liked at the Institute, she had found she liked more with Jullian, so she replied yes and added one of those smiley faces that Jubilee had shown her. Laura was unceremoniously interrupted by Amara.

"AHA!" she exclaimed. Laura almost gave herself whiplash, turning to look at the blonde. Amara was standing in a loosely tied bathrobe, her hair in a towel, and a toothbrush in her mouth. She ducked into the bathroom and spit, dropping her toothbrush into the sink, and leaning back out, marching over to Laura. "I knew you were up to something!"

Laura looked horrified.

"What is that?" Amara asked, reaching and grabbing the phone.

"Amara!" Laura exclaimed. "Give that back!"

Amara darted around the room, over beds, behind desks, frantically scanning Laura's text messages.

"My God, you text like this?"

"Amara!" Laura exclaimed, leaping at Amara over the bed, but missing her bathrobe by a fraction of an inch. Laura darted in front of Amara and held out her hand, but kept her feet in a position to spring at the blonde.

"Who's Jullian?" Amara asked.

"Amara!" Laura exclaimed, leaping, tackling Amara onto her bed. The two struggled. Amara held the phone above her head but when Laura reached, the blonde pulled it down to her chest, trying to huddle it into her chest. Laura grabbed at it, but instead, grabbed one of Amara's breasts.

"Laura!" Amara exclaimed, struggling to get away. She tossed the clone the phone, Laura holding onto it like a wild animal with a raw steak, and Amara re-adjusted her robe. "Jeez! Take the damn thing! No need to get all touchy-feely!"

"My apologies." Laura replied.

"So who's Jullian?" Amara asked after a moment.

Laura remained quiet.

"Oh come on, Laura, you might as well tell me!"

Laura hesitated. "He is my boyfriend."

"Oh!" Amara said, obviously not expecting that answer. She walked over to the bed, tugging her robe a little closer to her body and leaning over to look at Laura's phone. "What's his last name?"

Laura glanced at her carefully before replying "Keller. Jullian Keller."

"Like Bond. James Bond?" Amara snickered. Laura stared at her and Amara realized how lame that joke was. She huffed and became silent for a moment. A moment was about as long as she could stand, however, and she broke the brief silence with another question. "So do you have a picture of him?"

Laura nodded, pressing a few buttons on her phone and pulling up a picture of Jullian from the waist up.

"Mrow, mrow." Amara grinned. "I'd like to put my teeth around him!"

"Amara!" Laura exclaimed.

"What? I'm just saying!" Amara replied.

"He is _my_ boyfriend." Laura said, huddling the phone like raw steak again.

"Details, details." Amara said, rolling her eyes. At the look on Laura's face, she burst out laughing. "I was just kidding! I think you have a good taste in men."

Laura smiled at the compliment, easing up. She did not fully understand when someone was "fooling around" and when someone was being serious. Rogue had told her she never would.

"So have you two gone at it like wild animals yet?"

Laura made a disgusted face. "Not yet."

"He hasn't asked?"

"Twice." Laura sighed. "Both times I told him to wait and he has, patiently."

"Hnn." Amara said.

"Unlike you I do not have sex with my boyfriend the first night."

"Don't see why not…" Amara replied, walking back into the bathroom.

Laura rolled her eyes. Rogue would have launched into an hour long speech about how that wasn't right, but Laura didn't think about her right now. She smiled and looked at the picture of Jullian.  
>-<p>

Calypso grinned and pulled out her sword. Angel dove at her, grabbing at the sword, but Calypso moved to the side. The limestone mutant raised a wall of green rock and the other mutants took cover behind that as Fury and his Hulkbuster soldier opened fire. Sunspot used his powers to begin melting away the rock. Wolfsbane morphed into full wolf mode and leapt over the wall and attacked the mutants covering behind it.

"Pixie!" Fury shouted. "Bombs!"

"On it!" the pink-haired mutant replied, pulling goggles over her face and flying towards the Morlock side of the Morgue.

Angel was busy fighting Calypso while Wolfsbane and Sunspot kept the other mutant's attention occupied. When Spyke spotted Pixie flying towards the bombs, however, he fired a burst of spikes at her. Angel turned and waved his wing, creating a gust of air to knock Pixie out of the way. She yelped as she fell on her back, but seemed rather grateful after the brown bone-marrow spikes impaled themselves right where she would have been.

Calypso took advantage of Angel's momentary distraction, and placed a kick to his stomach, knocking him backwards. She swung her sword at him, scratching his wing and his arm. Angel cried out.

"Sunspot! Cover Angel!" Fury yelled. "Pixie! On those bombs!"

"Got it!" Pixie saluted, flying towards the bombs and picking them up one by one. Calypso swung a sword at her, but the pink-haired mutant dodged it and punched her right in the face. Megan covered her mouth and let out a slight sound of surprise before ducking beneath Calypso's legs and running for the fourth bomb.

Sunspot had taken over Angel's duties and was firing beams of heat at Calypso. Calypso activated her wrist gauntlet and a shield sprung out. The flames bounced off of the metal. Calypso could feel it warming on her arm, however, and leapt, swinging at Sunspot.

Rahne leapt off of the mutants she had been engaged with and onto Calypso's back, grabbing a tuft of hair and yanking. Calypso shook desperately to get the red-haired wolf off of her back, but Rahne was unwilling to let go and very stubborn.

Fury and his Hulkbuster soldier stepped in to take over the mutants, quickly subduing them at close range. The limestone mutant made a run for it, but Fury shot him in the shoulder and he fell to the ground, moaning and groaning in pain.

Pixie had finished collecting the bombs and handed them to the Hulkbuster.

"Director!"

"Angel! Can you get these in the air?" Fury demanded.

Angel grimaced, but nodded. He grabbed the bombs, five in all, stuck to each other with an adhesive, and disappeared out the door.

Calypso had finally gone down. The Hulkbuster was pulling spikes out of his suit. Sunspot wiped his brow. Pixie stood triumphantly, the only one not injured. A boom sounded in the distance and a moment later Angel returned.

"Good job, everyone." Fury said, handcuffing Calypso.***  
>-<p>

Rachel, Jean, and Scott were sitting around the table in the kitchen. It was almost ten at night and everyone else had already eaten. The Summers had wanted to eat a meal as a family, something they and everyone else were getting used to. Jean had elected to cook, and had dished up a pan of spaghetti and meatballs, a plate of garlic bread lathered in butter, and a salad drowned in Italian dressing. The three had calmed down from their exercise earlier and were now calmly discussing the past and, to an extent, the future.

Scott was wearing a pair of khakis, a white dress shirt, and a khaki sports coat. Jean was wearing a dark green, sleeveless cocktail dress. Rachel had slid some hair bands into her hair for decoration, the golden coated metal glinting in the light from the ceiling fixture. Rachel was wearing a yellow, long-sleeved top and bell-bottom jeans. The three continued eating and talking until Rachel spotted Kitty walk past the kitchen in her pajamas. She glanced at her parents and asked to be excused for a few minutes. Jean and Scott nodded and Rachel left, following Kitty silently upstairs. The red-head snuck up behind the brunette, wrapped a hand over her mouth, and pushed her into a side-room. Kitty whirled to look at her.

"What the hell?" she asked.

"Sorry." Rachel replied. She was no longer smiling. "I told you earlier that I would explain everything to you, but I couldn't risk someone overhearing what I'm about to tell you."

"Which is…?" Kitty asked. She glanced Rachel over once, twice, then stared into her velvet green eyes.

"The real reason I came into the past." Rachel said. "It wasn't why I said. I didn't arrive at the wrong time, either. I timed it to the second. I came back with a mission."

"What mission?" Kitty asked.  
>-<p>

Laura fiddled with the quilt on Rogue's bed. She had always thought it soft and comfortable. It was warm all of the time, as if it had magic properties, and made her feel warm inside, safe. Rogue's room had remained untouched since her departure. No one could get in the room, so they left it.

No one except Laura.

Laura had reached under the bed to a second secret box Rogue kept just for her. Inside was a duplicate of the silver wind-chimes Rogue had. Rogue had taken her pair with her, but left these for Laura in case she needed them. Now she did.

The moonlight was interrupted by a shadowy figure, one with long hair, dressed in black and red leather. Laura tapped a button on the security panel and the windows opened. McKenna Pryde walked in.

"Hello, _Xiǎo māo." _McKenna greeted. "I see you have a pair of chimes just as Eliza does. She made them for you?"

Laura nodded. "She gave them to me should I ever need your help. I do now."

McKenna tilted her head, encouraging her to go on.

"I have been having flashbacks recently, to my time as a HYDRA agent. I can not sleep without destroying something or hurting someone. I can no longer live like this. I can not advance my relationship with my boyfriend. I need you—" Laura took a deep, shaky breath. "I need you to erase my memories of HYDRA so they do not bother me again."

That was curious, McKenna thought. Rogue's device she placed under Laura's pillow before her "betrayal" should have done that. McKenna wasn't about to expose Rogue though, so she nodded and gestured for the bed. Laura walked over and sat down. McKenna removed her vest, sliding the zipper in the back down, and removing it completely. This left her in a black tank-top. McKenna pulled her hair back behind her head and popped each one of her fingers, making sure she was loose.

"This could hurt." McKenna warned, approaching Laura. "And remember if I take anything you want back, I can return it."

Laura nodded and closed her eyes. "Do it."

McKenna placed her hand on either side of Laura's temple. She closed her eyes and searched around. Laura grunted in pain. Having someone dig around in your mind was always painful. McKenna had found that it worked better on near-death people.**

McKenna dug around for another five minutes, but found nothing. There were small remnants of memories, but the originals were not there. Whoever had erased Laura's mind had done a damn good job. McKenna did find something strange. These memories were being given to Laura. She could not tell from where, but they were being sent to Laura, she was not remembering them.

McKenna pulled off with a gasp and Laura put a hand on the bed to brace herself.

"Is it done?" Laura asked.

McKenna lied.

"Yes. You are free to sleep once again. If you have any problems, let me know." She smiled.

Laura returned the smile. "Thank you, McKenna."

"You are welcome, _Xiǎo māo_." She responded. "Now I must go."  
>-<p>

Rogue's laptop buzzed. For a moment she did nothing, remaining asleep in her bed. Then it grew recognizable. Rogue glanced at her alarm clock. It was 2a.m. EST. Why the hell was Xavier calling her this early. She groaned a second time, realized it could be nothing good, and slid out of bed, walking over to her desk and opening the video-chat system. Xavier's face wasn't on the other end, it was a female's. She had short red hair with orange streaks in it. It was short and spiky, like Rogue's had once been. Her eyes were a familiar emerald shade of green and she had red tattoos on her face streaking from her lips, eyes, and nose. They, too, were red. She wore a red, orange, and yellow full body suit with a red trench-coat over that, the whole thing reminding Rogue of a phoenix for some strange reason.

"Who are you?" Rogue asked sleepily. "How'd you get this number?"

"My name is Rachel Grey." The girl introduced herself.

"Grey?" Rogue asked.

"Jean Grey is my mother. I believe you know her."

"Yeah, but Jean's too young to have a daughter your age." Rogue said, squinting her eyes in the harsh light of the computer. "That doesn't explain how you got this number"

"There's a lot to explain. And if you'll let me, I'd like to make you an offer."

"What kind of offer?" Rogue asked.

"I'm putting together a team, and I'd like you and your specific set of abilities and resources on my team."

"Team?" Rogue asked.

"Well," Rachel replied. "It's really more of a…force."  
>-<p>

-  
><strong>X-Men: Standing Guard will Return Shortly<br>**-

* See "Days of Future Past" when Kitty is time travelling. The girl in red.

** This scene could be very important in explaining something between Season 2 and Season 3. REMEMBER THIS!

***Yes, this might seem a bit out of place, but it will make sense later…much later….


	15. S2E05 Force Epilogue

Continuation of scene with Rogue, who all is going to be on team?

-Rachel/Summerset

-Rogue

-Kitty Pryde/Shadowcat

-Jubilee

-One other surprise member


	16. S2E06 Baby Sisters (FULL)

**AN: The epic mid-season finale of **_**X-Men: Standing Guard **_**Season 2! This episode was so big, I had to split it into two parts. The events of this episode take place two weeks after Episode 5 and there have been constant missions between the episodes.**

-  
>The bar where the meeting was taking place was as seedy as they come. It was located in a slum alleyway in Camden, New Jersey. The bar itself was small, only about 20 by 60 feet and a low six foot ceiling. The floor and chairs were old and red. The lights were flickering and dirty, purple, orange, yellow flashing across the splintered floor and gashed couches.<p>

There was a small bar serving alcoholic drinks and information. The man behind the counter had one hand behind his back at all times. His hand was wrapped tightly around a .22 Magnum. Camden was a dangerous place and this man knew it. He looked too old to have lived in this city, his hair was gray and he seemed to be nearing fifty.

The entertainment was exotic dancing. These women were very fake. Breast and buttock implants made them look like hookers on steroids. The clothes they danced in (if they even wore clothes) was too small to cover much important. The dancing was sloppy, drunk, only meant to flaunt their _assets_. They wanted a man so they could get paid. They didn't even bother going in the back. Four men were crowded around one of the strippers in suggestive positions, laughing, bucking. Six or seven others looked on and waved beer bottles around. A TV in the corner was playing a porno, but it was ignored.

There was a table in the far right corner, away from the front door and near the back. It was completely shrouded in darkness. This was Jubal Early's spot*. Jubal was a bounty hunter who specialized in everything. Assassination, kidnapping, human trafficking, drug deals, cop killings, anything you could possibly want, he did. His price wasn't even that high. He just enjoyed his work.

Jubal was black, with stubble on his beard and scalp. His eyes were red and he had a nasty scar going over one. This scar started at the right side of his forehead, curved over his right eye, down, and into his nose, which was missing half its flesh. Part of his mouth was missing and one of his hands was robotic. He looked cold and robotic. He took a sip out of his drink and eyed the female in a blue cloak who entered the front door.

Almost as if she were invisible, she walked through the bar, head towards the ground, towards Jubal. She sat down on the bench, keeping her face concealed. When she spoke, her voice was filtered.

"Jubal Early?" she asked, her voice mechanical and heavy.

"Yes?" he asked.

"I have a job for you." The female replied.

"What kind?" Jubal asked, glancing at his S-Phone.

"Abduction, then abort." The female replied.

Jubal looked up. _This _was strange.

"How much you willing to pay?"

"$2 Million." The woman replied without hesitation.

Jubal nodded. "Alright, go on."

"Do we have a deal?" the woman asked.

"Yes, go on." Jubal repeated.

"The girl's name is Elizabeth Braddock. She's in England. I need you to abduct her, take her to a designated location in Scotland, and leave her captive there. You are never to mention this job to anyone, or—"

At this, Jubal clutched his head. This woman was a telepath!

"So abduct a girl, drop her in Scotland, and come home for 2 mil?" he asked. "Any more specifics?"

"Do not harm her, only scare her. You are to take care of her."

Jubal nodded.

"Also, do not stay after you have delivered her. Otherwise you may very well end up dead or worse." Again Jubal's head hurt.

"Understood." He said lowly.

The woman nodded and stood up. "The FBI will be here in two minutes. I suggest you leave."

Jubal smiled. The woman moved back through the bar unnoticed. She turned at the door, but Jubal had disappeared into shadows. The woman exited the door and headed down the sidewalk towards a parked car. She climbed in and pulled down her hood revealing piercing blue eyes and curly brown hair. She tossed off the robe and smoothed out her navy and light blue suit.

"How did it go?" her companion, a second female with red hair and orange tips, asked.

"He took the job." Kitty Pryde said. "Do you really trust him not to hurt Betsy?"

"If he does," Rachel Grey tapped her head. "I'll psychically disable him."

"From the Xavier Institute?" Kitty asked, her hands on the steering wheel.

Rachel grinned. "I did that little trick from out here, didn't I? Besides, if I need to, I can use Cerebro."

"Damn." Kitty muttered. Hi-jacking Cerebro was a serious thing, and even having the telepathic power to do so was impressive.

"Thank you," Rachel said.

"Hey, wiring two mill to a bounty hunter is the easiest thing I've ever done to save the world." Kitty smiled. "If only other things had gone like that."

Rachel smiled. "FBI are coming. I think we should skedaddle."

"Skedaddle?" Kitty asked. "Wow, really?"

Rachel laughed and patted Kitty's thigh. "Hit the road, cowgirl."

The two skidded out of the alleyway as SWAT vans rolled up and breached the bar.  
>-<p>

Lorna laughed and wiped her mouth with a napkin. She tossed some of her green hair over her shoulder and took another bite out of her ham sandwich. The female mutant was wearing a black, insulated body suit amd a lime green sundress with flowers in a darker green stitched into it. She was sitting on a blanket underneath a pavilion on the Xavier Institute lawn with her boyfriend, Bobby Drake aka Iceman.

The "ice-dork" was wearing jeans, a t-shirt, and a heavy leather jacket. He laughed and gestured to some ketchup that had fallen on Lorna's shirt. She laughed again and wiped it off with a finger, sticking it in her mouth and sucking the condiment off. Bobby laughed again and tossed a roll at her.

The Pavilion the two were underneath was heated providing enough warmth that they weren't freezing, but it was still cold. There was a single, soft, yellow light illuminating the two in the dead of night. Only the stars and the moon were shining on the snow-covered ground. The swimming pool had been emptied and was the only drab reminder of the harshness of winter around.

The meal was mainly leftovers. Rolls with ham and cranberry sauce inside along with some left over deviled eggs (Laura said Rogue liked them, but Rogue was with Magneto now wasn't she?). Their hot cocoa had long since grown cold. They laid on a spare blanket from Bobby's room and ate off of paper plates Lorna had found in the kitchen. It was nothing special, just a date where the two of them could spend time together.

Lorna caught the roll with her mouth and proceeded to eat it without touching it. Bobby laughed at her and Lorna laughed as well, choking on the roll and only making it that much more hilarious for the both of them. When they finally calmed down and Lorna had swallowed a few bites, Bobby stood up and extended a hand.

"May I have this dance?" he asked.

Lorna's eyes widened. "I-uh-don't know how to dance." She admitted. She still got shy when something like this happened, and now she was fiddling with her hair, her eyes looking at the ground.

"That's fine." Bobby smiled. "I'll teach you."

Lorna looked at him, smiled, and took his hand. Bobby led her down the pavilion steps and across the snow-covered yard, leaving their tracks. Bobby took her to the pool and extended his hand, filling it with ice. Lorna raised an eyebrow.

"Dance, not iceskate, icedork." She laughed.

Bobby stepped out onto the ice and pulled her with him. They stood for a moment, trying to find their balance. Bobby held Lorna close, his strong arms wrapped around her, her warm, soft body pressed against his. She smiled and kissed him gently.

Bobby helped her arrange her arms, one in his hand, one on his mid-section. He placed one of his on her back and the other in her hand. He slid his feet to one side and instructed her to do the same. Lorna almost slipped and burst out laughing.

"You're just trying to make me look like a fool, Bobby Drake!" she exclaimed.

"Swear I'm not." Bobby laughed softly. "Come on,"

It took almost fifteen minutes of slipping, fumbling, hands moving, sometimes to places they shouldn't, until finally Lorna and Bobby were sliding as near to gracefully as one can across the ice. The half moon illuminated the ice, the snow, and them. Lorna was quiet, staring into Bobby's icy eyes. Bobby did not make one smart remark to Lorna, simply admiring the curves of her face, how round and red her nose was, how long and soft her hair was. Lorna slipped again and Bobby caught her, pulling her into a deep kiss.  
>-<p>

"How many times can the Prof. send ya into the city?" Rahne asked, watching from the bed as Roberto slid a shirt over his toned and freshly showered body.

"I don't know, babe, but hopefully it won't be for much longer." He smiled, ruffling his dark hair with one hand, tugging his shirt down with the other.

"I like it ya off doin' these secret miss'ns can't talk about." Rahne giggled, curling her legs up underneath her.

Roberto was not, in fact, doing secret missions. He had found another girlfriend in the city and was using these weekend excursions to go see her. He had told Rahne Professor Xavier was sending him on secret missions so she wouldn't get suspicious. He had added she couldn't talk about it to keep her from learning Xavier knew nothing of his weekend journey.

"What's he got ya doin' this time?" Rahne asked.

Roberto crossed the room towards her. "More recon." He pressed his lips to her bare shoulder, kissing his way over to her cyan tank-top strap. Rahne giggled and tilted her head, allowing him access to her neck.

Rahne giggled and kissed him, tugging him onto the bed. "Well lemme give ye somethin' to think about while ye're…_reconnin'_."  
>-<p>

A sharp knock came on Charles Xavier's door. He finished jotting a note down on a piece of paper and replied they could enter. Kitty and Piotr entered. Kitty was dressed in a black turtleneck and jeans. Her chestnut hair was pulled behind her in a ponytail. Piotr's medium-length dark hair was messy and scattered over his head. He wore a yellow T-shirt and jeans as well. Having lived in Russia most of his life, winters in America were nothing to him.

"Kitty, Piotr. It's good to see you both. How are you?" Charles gestured for the two to sit down.

"We're fine." Kitty replied. Piotr made a deep noise that sounded like "yes."

"How can I help you?" Charles asked.

"Hall pass, Prof." Kitty replied with a smile. "You know we've been e-mailing back and forth with Illyana, Piotr's sister?"

"Yes." Charles replied.

"Well, she emailed three days ago and said something was strange. She thought she was being chased. She hasn't replied to any of our emails. We think she might be breaking out and since Russia still uses Sentinels…"

"You think she might be in danger." Charles finished.

"The Sentinels target the X-gene." Piotr said in a low voice. "And anything similar to it. Because I am mutant and Illyana is my sister, the Sentinels may targeting her." The Russian's English was mostly intact, but he was still missing a few words. He spoke slow and with a deep, powerful voice that seemed to be able to topple buildings.

"So, we'd like to go to Russia and check on her."

Charles sighed and folded his hands on the paper he had been writing on. He thought carefully about this. Illyana was Piotr's sister. Piotr was Kitty's boyfriend. Kitty was a long-time student of his and loyal member of the X-Men. However, the Sentinels were a dangerous threat. He wasn't sure sending in just the two of them would be a good idea.

"Alright." He finally agreed. "But only if you check in when you land and every two hours since. If you don't check in, I will ask Director Fury to send search parties after you."

"Yes!" Kitty jumped up happily. "Thank you, Professor! I gotta go pack!"

Kitty darted from the room. Piotr stood up to follow, but Xavier motioned at him.

"I'm sure I don't have to say this, but take care of her, Piotr."

"Da." The brute responded.

"_Professor?"_ Jean's voice came over the intercom. _"S.H.I.E.L.D. is here. They say its important."_

"I'm on my way, Jean." Charles replied. "Piotr! Hold that door please! Thank you, sir."  
>-<p>

The S.H.I.E.L.D. Quinn Jet sat peacefully on the front lawn. Maria Hill and a man with blonde hair and very strange clothes stood next to her. Most of the X-Men were out on the front lawn waiting for Xavier's arrival. Storm followed him out a brisk pace, her cape flowing behind her.

The mysterious man with blonde hair was short, probably no taller than 5'10". He was wearing a dark blue trench coat and a T-shirt with the Union Jack covering it. He wore dark combat pants and black combat boots. He had a black barcode tattooed on the side of his forehead. He stood with his hands in his pockets waiting for Xavier to roll up.

Maria Hill had short, black pixie hair. Her skin, a smooth caramel, seemed to blend gracefully into her S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform. She had a petite body, but a powerful aura about her. She stood at attention, hands clasped behind her back.

"Professor Xavier." She greeted, shaking his hand.

"Ms. Hill." Charles returned. "It is unusual to see you here. May I ask where Director Fury is?"

"Urgent business with Ukraine." Hill responded. "He sent me in his stead."

Charles nodded and turned to the new figure. "And who might you be, young man?"

"Brian Braddock, sir." The man bowed, then shook Xavier's hand. "Captain Britain of Her Majesty's Special Forces."

Charles nodded. "Why are you here?"

"It's my sister, sir." Braddock replied. "Her name is Elizabeth Braddock. Well, she's only my adopted sister, but she feels like family and matters as much."

"What about her?" Charles asked.

"She's gone missing, sir." Braddock replied. "She has been complaining of voices in her head for some time and I believe she read my mind two nights ago. I fear she may be a mutant."

"Fear?" Amara demanded. "What the hell are you?"

"Amara." Charles held up a stern hand.

"A product of scientific ingenuity." Braddock replied, the same stern, emotionless expression on his face. "And besides, being a mutant in England means working for my team—a virtual suicide squad.**"

Charles nodded. "Could MI-7*** not have recruited her?"

"Not without my knowledge, sir. I believe she has been abducted." Braddock said. "I approached S.H.I.E.L.D. and they recommended you. I would appreciate it if you would take her in as a student and protect her."

Charles nodded. "My team is already spread thin, Captain, and many more are about to leave for Christmas holidays next week. I'm afraid you'll have to stick with S.H.I.E.L.D.—"

"Professor!" Rachel exclaimed. Charles rotated and looked at the red-head.

'_Yes?'_ He asked telepathically.

'_Betsy is a critical member of the X-Men. We need to recruit her.'_ Rachel replied.

'_Our team is spread thin.'_ Xavier pointed out.

'_I'll go! Jubilee and Kitty can come, too!'_

'_Kitty is leaving for Russia with Piotr.'_ Charles informed her. _'And I would prefer you take a more experienced member than Jubilee.'_

'_What about Scott?'_ Rachel asked. _'Professor, it's critical we recruit her.'_

Charles sighed and rotated to face Captain Britain. "Captain, I believe I _can_ send out a party after your sister. As I offer every mutant, I will offer her a place at the Institute, but it must be her decision to join us."

Captain Britain nodded. "Thank you, sir."

Charles nodded and smiled, shooting a sideways glance at Rachel Grey.

"Professor, I believe you should meet my team." Braddock said with a smile and a glance at Hill. "X-Men, meet _Excalibur_."

A woman descended the boarding ramp. She had long, black hair and was wearing red goggles. There was a pencil in her ear. She wore a dirty white tank-top with grease stains and jeans. She had a hoodie tied around her waist.

"This is Sage, our technician expert."

A smaller girl descended the boarding ramp. She had blue skin and yellow eyes. Her long, dark blue, almost violet hair flowed over her shoulders. She had dyed the front patch a yellow that matched her eyes. She wore tight black leather pants with a dark red belt and a yellow tank-top that exposed her midriff. Over this she wore a red vest and red gauntlets. She smiled and waved.

"She looks exactly like Kurt." Amara whispered.

"This is Nocturne. She is our scout. She possesses teleportation, energy blasts, and the ability to inhabit machines, animals, or people."

The X-Men stared as she nervously stood next to Sage.

"And finally," at this, Braddock smiled even wider. "Is an old team mate of yours. She is our resident telepath. Ladies and Gents—"

A blonde in a white body-suit and cloak descended from the ramp. Her icy eyes pierced the X-Men. Her blonde hair didn't moved, seemingly frozen in place. A shock rippled through the X-Men when they saw her.

"Emma Frost." Rachel growled.  
>-<p>

**X-Men: Standing Guard  
>Season 2 Episode 6<br>"Baby Sisters"  
>-<strong>

There was stunned silence in the crowd of mutants. Other than Rachel's almost inaudible growl, nothing had been said. Finally Xavier rolled forward. "Emma?"

"Hello, Professor." Emma smiled coldly. She turned and glared at Jean. Rachel took a step forward casually, but sent a look at Emma that told her to back off.

"Where have you been?" Xavier asked. "Where did you go—you disappeared without a trace a few months ago."

If Emma started to breathe a word about the Phoenix, Rachel swore she'd lobotomize her right then and there. Fortunately, Emma simply smiled and remarked she needed a change of scenery.

"Well, still, you could've left a note." Storm said.

"Sorry," she glanced at Jean again. "Something came up."

Rachel's fist tightened in her yellow leather glove. Jean noticed.

'_Rachel…?'_

Rachel shook her head lightly. This was something she had to take care of alone. She almost smiled. Emma had no idea what she was in for.

"Ms. Frost has asked to re-join your team and after her work for Excalibur, Her Majesty has agreed." Braddock said.

"Well, it's good to have you back, Emma." Storm said, stepping forward and wrapping an arm around the blonde. "We all can't wait to hear your stories."

"Thank you, Captain." Charles said with a smile.

Braddock nodded, then turned sharply and boarded his ship once again. Half of the X-Men watched Emma, the other half looking at Nocturne's retreating figure, and wondering how she looked so similar to Kurt.

"She's his sister." Rachel said loudly.

Everyone turned to look at her.

"Yeah, Kurt had a sister." Rachel glanced around. "You guys didn't know that?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"Oh."

Silence for a moment, then Xavier spoke up. "Come on, Emma, let's go inside. It looks like it's about to snow."

Rachel watched the blonde head inside. Jean hung back with her daughter until the rest were far enough away they were out of earshot.

"Rachel? What is it?" Jean asked. "You don't like Emma."

"No." Rachel agreed.

"What's wrong with her?" Jean asked.

Rachel bit her lip. "It-It's nothing. Future stuff and all. Wouldn't want to disrupt the timeline." The red-head laughed nervously and Jean eyed her strangely.

"All right, but if you want to talk, or need to tell me something, I'm right here." Jean said.

Rachel nodded and hugged her mother.  
>-<p>

"So the ice queen is back." Kitty muttered, folding a shirt into her knapsack. "Terrific…or _whore_-ific…"

Rachel laughed. "Haha. That's good."

"Really?" Kitty asked, looking up at the red-head.

Rachel nodded, an amused smile on her face. She was leaning against Kitty's doorway, arms folded over her chest, right leg pressing against the wall at a forty-five degree angle. Kitty heard her laugh, but saw her eyes.

"What's wrong?" she asked, turning to look for that pair of pants Piotr had given her last year to keep her warm.

"Nothing big." Rachel replied.

"Oh come on, it has—" Kitty grunted as she got on her knees to look under her bed. "—has to be something to have you worried Ms. I'm-going-to-save-the-world."

Rachel sighed and walked over, sitting down on Kitty's bed. "Have you noticed I call myself Rachel _Grey_ and not Rachel _Summers_?"

"Yeah, kind of." Kitty's voice came from under the bed. All Rachel could see of the Jew was her butt wiggling around as she squirmed beneath the bed.

"Do you know why?"

"Grey sounds cooler?"

Rachel smiled lightly. "No, it's because I don't respect my father."

"Huh?" Kitty asked. Everyone respected Scott at the Institute. He was a stand-up good-guy. Why would his own daughter not respect him?

"Because he cheated on mom with Emma Frost."

Kitty tried to stand up, but hit her head on the bed. She growled and phased through it, standing up and rubbing her scalp. "Emma?" she asked.

"Mom had been on a mission in Egypt and gone missing. They had searched for her, but couldn't find her. Cerebro couldn't locate her. She was probably using her Phoenix powers, or the Phoenix itself was…anyway, she was gone about three months. A month _after_ she disappeared, I walked in on my dad and Emma during a "therapy" session."

"Eww." Kitty said, wrinkling her nose.

"Yeah." Rachel replied. "Worse part, my dad kept thrusting the whole time he was trying to explain."

Kitty looked like she was going to puke.

"And when my mom returned, he kept on seeing Emma. Mom found out, divorced him, blabbity bla."

Kitty shook her head, still rubbing the sore spot. "So what does present-day Jean think of all this?" Kitty paused. "Well, _past-day_ in your tense."

"I didn't tell her." Rachel replied. "With any luck, I'll completely prevent it from happening, but I'll still never have respect for my dad."

Kitty sighed and bit the inside of her lip. "I'm sorry, Rache."

"Like I said, no biggy. Not compared to our other jobs." Rachel turned and looked out the window.

"But it's important to you." Kitty said, putting a hand on her shoulder. Rachel smiled and leaned her head against Kitty's shoulder. They sat like that for a minute. Then Rachel reminded Kitty that she had a plane to catch and Kitty got up and continued packing.

"So what about Psylocke?" Kitty asked. "Are you sure what's his face left her alone?"

"Yep." Rachel replied. "He's rather bland. I didn't expect that from him. Bishop always said—"

"Bishop? Kate Bishop?" Kitty asked.

"No, Bishop—a—a mutant in the future. Uses other mutant's energy to create his own. X-Man. Friend of Xavier's."

"Ah." Kitty nodded, zipping her knapsack shut. "Well here's to catching our prey." Kitty headed for the door when Rachel spoke up.

"Kitty! Wait a sec!"

Kitty turned. Rachel walked over to her and placed her hands on either side of Kitty's head. Kitty yelped in pain and backed away. Rachel's eyes glowed. The yellow Phoenix tattoo over her left eye glowed brightly, indicating a large use of her powers. Kitty yelped again and Rachel's eyes returned to their normal state.

"Ow! What the hell?"

"It's a private telepathic line." Rachel responded. "It's just between the two of us, no one else. No one else is even going to know it exists if we were strapped to Cerebro and every telepath in the world was trying to find it."

"Nice?" Kitty asked. Now she had _two_ headaches.

"Sorry it hurt, I didn't finish researching that before I left. It also helps with my dimensional abilities because I can put the link in a separate dimension."

Kitty nodded and said again: "Nice."

Rachel smiled. "You seem a little upset."

"I'm just new to the way we're going about doing things. Black ops." Kitty replied. "I'm not big on abductions and staging crimes…"

Rachel walked over and leaned her head against Kitty's, their noses brushing. The red-head closed her eyes and breathed deeply, smelling the makeup Kitty was wearing.

'_Trust me, Kitty. I have everything under control. I'm not going to endanger any more lives than I have to.'_

Kitty's blue eyes looked up at Rachel, their heads still touching. _'Should we have to endanger anyone?'_

Rachel laughed telepathically. It was short and soft, but joyful and seemed to lift some of the weight from her shoulders. _'I love you and your morals. You always managed to keep this team on track.'_ Rachel paused. _'And me.'_

Kitty smiled and hugged Rachel. "Good hunting."

"Good hunting." Rachel returned.  
>-<p>

Rachel was wearing her uniform: red body-suit with yellow armor plates, yellow gloves, yellow combat boots, and a red trench-coat that looked like a bird's wings. She'd had her hair trimmed recently, the red spikes hanging an inch beneath her neck. The orange highlights were fewer, but larger and more vibrant.

Jubilee was wearing her uniform: black body-suit with pink highlights and a yellow trench-coat. She had added pink sunglasses to the mix, pushed up into her spiky black hair, as well as pink earmuffs. She seemed very happy, blowing a bubble with her gum.

Laura stuck next to the Californian. She had her long, straight brown hair hanging behind her. Her normal black suit had been exchanged for a white one with the same orange highlights and back. Her gloves were a brown-orange, her boots were black, her belt yellow with the X-Men insignia perfectly on her middle, and stripes on the side of her torso had been insulated more for the winter months. Jubilee had suggested white fur, but Laura had declined.

Scott was accompanying purely for "parental babysitting" as Jubilee put it. He was wearing a brown sweater and khakis. He had packed extra jackets.

The four waved good-bye, then boarded the X-Jet. The ramp closed behind them and they slowly lifted off. Kitty and Piotr were borrowing a S.H.I.E.L.D. Hellier Jet. Kitty watched Rachel's craft take off before joining Piotr in the cockpit.

"Have you ever heard of the mile-high club?" Kitty asked with a grin.  
>-<p>

"Blue, blue, blue, where everyso is the blue?" Sinister ran his hands through his thin, black hair and scanned the array of trays desperately for a blue vial. His eyes searched both directions at once. He picked up a tray and seemingly danced around the room, only to smash it on the other side.

"No, not, nope, yes not." He muttered, tracing the scar of what was once his cheek with his finger. "Hmmm"

Sinister picked up a blue vial and smiled. He held it in his hand and ran it over his cheek like a child would a teddy bear. He twirled back over to his workstation and eased into his chair, extracting carefully a single drop of the blue liquid from the vial and moving it to a second vial with a red-green liquid inside. The solution hissed and Sinister hummed a happy tune and he placed it in the microwave and turned the counter to three minutes. He twirled back to his seat and turned to watch it.

The television had been on in the back of the room, its blue light flickering over his pale features, and lack of features, the entire time. Now a news report caught his eye. Angel and the X-Men had stopped another attack by the Morlocks, who were on the rise, and the camera got a good glimpse of his masked face. Sinister growled and tossed a glass container at the screen. Suddenly a smile lit on his face.

"Wings, wings, fly, flight, wings, soar, Icarus…hmmm…no, no, no….Yes!" Although his language hadn't said it, Mr. Sinister had just hatched an excellent plan to try once more to steal DNA from the X-Men. This time it would be more brutal, however.  
>-<p>

"Re-activating the Sentinel Program, after that fiasco earlier this year? Sir, you could possibly be looking at impeachment!" An aide exclaimed.

"Oh please," President Robert Kelly responded. "Everyone hates mutants."

Warren Worthington III coughed from the back of the room, but otherwise remained silent.

"While a majority of the polled do show disfavor towards mutants, they're not ready to _kill them_!"

"Not important." Kelly replied. "Magneto is going to strike at humanity again, or do I have to remind you of what happened back in March?"

"No, sir." The aide responded coldly, each word its own sentence.

"Mr. Worthington," Kelly said, glancing at Warren's father. "How is the Cure coming?"

"Mostly destroyed in the explosion, sir." Worthington replied. "I took the research notes home with me and made backups, but without Dr. Essex's brilliance, I'm not sure we can replicate it."

"Find a way, Mr. Worthington, if you want to keep the family business afloat. I want that Cure ready for Sentinel Production as soon as possible." Kelly didn't even look at Worthington as he fluttered through a stack of papers.

Worthington glanced at Warren who turned and looked the other way, scratching his back right there in-between his wings. Ah, much better…

"Yes, sir." Worthington replied downcast.

Warren narrowed his eyes.  
>-<p>

The Blackbird landed gently on the small airfield in the Scottish Highlands. The engines fired blue fire into the black asphalt, scorching it, before shutting off. The boarding ramp lowered with a hiss and Jubilee ran out, doing cartwheels. She stopped and ran back inside, grabbing her jacket.

"Damn!" she exclaimed. "It's cold!"

Laura laughed and grabbed her own jacket, pulling it on. Because the Highlands were covered in snow this time of year, Laura had changed her outfit. It was now mostly white with an orange back and stripes. Her boots were snow-white and her gloves were a brown-orange that reminded Jubilee of pumpkins in autumn. Laura's hair was pulled back behind her ears and tucked into the hood of her parka.

Jubilee had stuffed her black suit with several layers of clothing and had grabbed a yellow trench-coat that was much more insulated from the X-Jet.

"It is not cold!" Laura quoted. "I do not need a jacket!"

"Ain't, and don't." Jubilee corrected. "But I forgot this was freaking _Scotland_! I have much more respect for Rahne now."

Laura laughed again, as did Rachel. Scott smiled.

"Alright, plan of attack?" Jubilee asked, turning to face Scott.

"Split up into two teams." Rachel interrupted. "I'll go with Scott, you two go together, try and find the girl first."

"I wish to go with Rachel." Laura said before anyone else could talk. Jubilee stared at her.

Rachel smiled at her. "I think it's better you go with Jubilee. I can't imagine Scott getting along too well with Jubilee. Besides, you two are friends!"

"But—" Laura started, but Jubilee placed a hand on her shoulder. "Chill, girl, what's the deal?"

Scott smiled at Rachel. "Good idea. Sure you can keep up with your old man?"

"Absolutely." Rachel grinned. She pulled her hood up over her head. "Let's go!"

"What? Walk?" Jubilee demanded.

Scott had disappeared aboard the Blackbird for a moment, and returned with two miniature snowmobiles. "If you want…"

"Gimme!" Jubilee exclaimed, practically snatching it out of Scott's hand. She cranked the engine and sighed.

"Heating." She grinned.

Laura climbed aboard Jubilee's and wrapped her arms around the Asian's waist, relishing in the warmth of the blown air and body contact. Scott cranked his as well.

"Hey! What about Rach?" Jubes asked.

"Oh, don't worry. I fly, remember?" Rachel asked with a grin. She levitated off the ground. "We'll take North, you take South. Radio if you get anything."

Jubilee nodded and pressed the accelerator, almost backing into the Blackbird. Laura reached around front and flipped a switch. "Perhaps I should drive?"

"Hell no. I want my heating." Jubilee responded. Laura smiled and nodded. "Try now, _slowly_."

Jubilee slammed down on the gas pedal and sprayed snow as she took off. If she didn't know her so well, Jubilee could have sworn Laura squealed.

"Enjoying yourself?" she asked.

"You startled me. I requested you drive slow." Laura responded.

"Gotta live life to the fullest, Talon." Jubilee grinned. "No slow-poking."

Laura smirked and pressed her cheek against Jubilee's jacket. She could feel the warmth of the older girl radiating through the fabric. They drove in silence for a few seconds, then Jubilee spoke up. "What was that back there?"

"Pardon?" Laura asked.

"You know what I mean! Why'd you want to go with Rachel instead of me? You like red-heads?"

Laura stared at her incredulously, then realized she was making a joke. "No, I wished to discuss her actions earlier in private."

"Laura, there's nothing wrong with Rachel." Jubilee responded. "I understand why you're paranoid, and in some cases it's good, but this isn't one of those cases."

Laura pressed her cheek harder into Jubilee's back and felt the rhythm and hum of the snow-mobile.  
>-<p>

Even before the S.H.I.E.L.D. Hellier Jet landed, Kitty and Piotr could see something was wrong in Piotr's home village. Kitty crawled off of him and pulled her pants back on, tugging on a jacket as Piotr ran out to help people.

Houses were on fire and the snowy streets had been torn to shreds. It looked like giant cats or dogs had run through the town. Kitty noticed a building about to collapse and shouted at Piotr. He ran over and his silvery arms extended, holding up debris as families ran out. After making sure everyone was out, he let go, the debris collapsing.

Kitty walked over and made sure the family was okay. An old lady was being laid out in the snow.

"First Aid Kit!" Kitty exclaimed, kneeling next to the old woman. She tried to remember some of the Russian Piotr had taught her. "Ty v poryadke?"

"Da." The old woman replied. Piotr returned with the First Aid Kit and handed it to Kitty who started to bandage a severe burn on the older woman's right arm.

"Ask her what happened." Kitty said, dabbing disinfectant on the wound. Piotr asked, the daughter of the older woman answered.

"She said demons attacked the village looking for a girl." Piotr said, worried. Kitty was thinking the same thing he was. This girl was Illyana.

"What did the demons look like?"

Another exchange.

"She says they looked like giant wolves made of pure darkness. They were taller on all fours than the oldest among them and had blood red eyes."

The woman said something and Kitty caught one word: "shadows"

"Who was the girl?"

Piotr asked. He didn't need to translate the answer.

"Illyana Rasputin."

"_Where is she now?"(Translated from Russian)_

"_We have exiled her. She was endangering the entire village." The old lady said._

"_Witch!" Piotr exclaimed. "That is my baby sister and you left her out there in the cold to be hunted?"_

"_Better than us being hunted!" _

Piotr slammed his fist into the ground and ice cracked. Everyone stared at him.

"Calm down, Piotr." Kitty chastised. "We'll find her. We're X-Men."  
>-<p>

"Damnit!" Rogue cursed. The wires beneath the old computer systems sparked and Rogue had to dart back to avoid catching on fire. "Damnit!" she repeated, and searched around for a fire extinguisher. One was hanging by the door. Rogue grabbed it and extinguished the fire. She looked at her work and set the can down, mumbling something about how worthless the computer was.

"Hot, as always, Rogue." Magneto said.

Rogue jumped out of her skin. She whirled to face the leader of the Brotherhood. He was standing in full costume, a white mug of steaming cocoa in each hand. He smiled and extended one to Rogue who shook her head. The Belle was wearing a green tank-top with white outlines and tight pants of the same color-scheme. She had a white scarf wrapped around her neck and black gloves on her hands as usual.

"Yeah, n'thanks, Erik. I'm already hot an' bothered." Rogue said, squatting down next to the tool-box and pulling out a pair of plyers.

"I can see that." Erik said with a smile. Rogue glanced at him, then lay back on the ground and slid under the computer terminal again.

"Whatcha want?" she asked, sounding slightly annoyed. Erik wasn't sure if it was because of him or the computer, or a mix of both.

"I was coming to see how you were doing." Erik replied, having no better excuse for being in an area of the old building Rogue had declared off limits.

"Well I'm doin' shitty. Thanks." Rogue replied. She growled something at the computer and Erik heard a sharp 'clunk!' and a moment later, an old hard-drive slid out onto the ground.

"If ya gonna stand there and annoy me, at least get me the spare hard-drive out uh the—"

Rogue saw the hard-drive levitate next to her.

"Ah. Thanks." She noted.

Rogue worked in silence for a moment. She sighed and started welding two wires together with some power she had borrowed from Gambit. "What'd'ya want, Erik?"

"It's almost Christmas, Rogue."

"Uh-huh." Rogue said, biting her tongue as she tried to negotiate the wires into a tight spot. "I noticed. I didn't buy ya anything because, well, I think you can fig're that one out."

"Well I was thinking maybe, if you had some spare time, you and I could…get together. You know, have dinner, maybe some wine. I have a bottle I've been keeping secret—"

Rogue slid out from under the computer and folded her arms over her chest. "Are you asking me, an almost-thirty year old woman, out to a date with you, an 80-nearing-90-year old man?"

"You didn't seem to object to it a few years ago." Erik responded.

"I had things t' do then." Rogue replied. It was true, too. She had slept with Erik for the sole purpose of getting away from the Institute. It was that or cause the death of a student, and Rogue did not like Plan B. She slid back under the computer. "'sides, I'm seein' Remy now. He's bigger."

Magneto gagged on his cocoa.

Rogue smirked beneath the computer. "On feelin's I mean."

"Mmm. Mmhm." Erik nodded.

Rogue sighed. "Let's be honest, Erik, that relationship wasn' good for eider of us."

"Eider?" Erik asked.

Rogue sighed. "Damn Cajun…I like my accent just fine."

Something sparked and Rogue slid out from underneath, quickly standing up. Nothing happened.

"False alarm." She said. She bent down and grabbed a circuit connector, sliding back under the console.

"Rogue—" Erik started.

"Remy." Rogue replied sharply. She was done playing with Erik.

"Oh, you mean the man who can't even control his powers?"

"What?" Rogue asked, pausing.

"Oh yes. There was more than the one incident on the track. He's been blowing up stuff right and left."

Rogue slid out from underneath the computer console and sat up, looking at Erik.

"Be careful. Wouldn't want him blowing _you_ up when the two of you wake up in the morning." Erik said, taking a sip from his cocoa. "That is, assuming you _could_ share a bed."

Rogue stared at Erik in shock. She growled and threw a wrench at the back of his head.

"You son of a bitch!" she shouted.

Erik caught the wrench and tossed it back, hitting Rogue in the stomach. Rogue grunted and glared, tears of pain in her eyes. The tears were not from physical pain, however. How could he have insulted her like that?  
>-<p>

Laura sniffed the air. All she smelled was the woods and decaying foliage, which was strangely delicious smelling, the snow from the ground, and the gasoline from the snow-mobile, but no humans. Not for miles around.

"Nothing?" Jubilee sighed.

Laura shook her head and Jubilee turned around, grabbing her hair and kicking the snow. "I'm freezing my ass off out here and this kidnapper couldn't be more generous and just not shower or something?"

Laura was about to remind Jubilee it did not matter whether or not someone showered for her to smell them, but decided to be quiet. Instead, she radioed Scott and Rachel.

"We have found nothing. What about you two?"

"We've found some indications a snow-mobile went through here a few days ago, and the local townsfolk said there's a cabin in the mountains. We're heading there to look for it." Rachel replied.

"Town?" Jubilee asked. "Do they have hot chocolate and can we come?"

"Sorry, Jubes." Rachel replied. "We might be wrong, keep looking on your end."

"Wish S.H.I.E.L.D. would just scan the area." Jubilee muttered. "I'm sure they have some huge mutant scanner…and Cerebro is worthless…"Scotland", wow, so specific."

"She's cold, isn't she?" Rachel asked.

"Yes." Laura replied, watching the Asian storm around in the snow, the wind blowing her yellow trench-coat.

Laura could hear the smirk in Rachel's voice. "Open the trunk of your snowmobile. Over and out!"

Laura returned her comm to her shoulder and walked over to the snowmobile, opening the trunk. There was a canteen and metal lunchbox like the ones on Rogue's TV shows…no. Laura couldn't think about Rogue right now. She was a traitor.

Laura paused. "What?"

"Huh?" Jubilee asked.

"What?" Laura asked Jubilee.

"What?" Jubilee asked Laura.

The two stared at each other for a minute, then Laura showed off the canteen and Jubilee jogged over, rubbing her fingers.

"What is it?"

Laura twisted the cap off and steam rolled out.

"Yes!" Jubilee exclaimed, taking the canteen and drinking a long draught out of it. "Mmmmm." She licked her lips. "Hot chocolate. See! I told you Rachel was fine! What's in the lunch-box?"

Jubilee popped the metal can open as Laura took a sip of the brown liquid carefully. It was surprisingly good, and it warmed her insides. She took another sip.

"Candy-Canes!" Jubilee exclaimed, three sticking out of her mouth, two in each hand. She tossed two to Laura who very hesitantly unwrapped once and licked it.

"This tastes like tooth-paste." Laura said.

"Don't confuse my taste-buds. Suck on it." Jubilee responded, munching on the end of her candy-canes. She took another sip of the hot chocolate and put it back in the trunk. The two girls stood there for a minute, sucking on their candy-canes. Finally Jubilee got back on the snow-mobile and cranked it. Laura slung her leg over the seat and wrapped her arms around Jubilee's waist again. She had chewed hers up and was now licking her lips which were strangely sticky.

"So," Jubilee asked, kicking the snow-mobile into motion. "What are you planning for Christmas?"

Laura paused, thinking. "Since Rogue is gone, now, I thought I should spend it with Julian. He said his family will be out of town with his sister at one of her rehearsals."

"Have you talked about it with him?" Jubilee asked.

"No, I did not believe I needed to." Laura replied.

She couldn't be quite sure because of all the noise the snow-mobile was making, but she thought Jubilee snorted.

"Was I wrong?"

"Spending Christmas with someone is pretty big, Laura. I mean you two haven't even had sex yet!"

Laura said something Jubilee didn't hear.

"What?"

"I plan to correct that when I get back!" Laura shouted over the snow-mobile.

Jubilee raised her eyebrows and started laughing. She didn't know why, but it was funny to her.

Laura let her laugh. "What about you?"

Jubilee was silent for a moment. Laura wished she was a telepath sometimes.

"I dunno." Jubilee replied. "I guess I'll stay at the Institute, see if Santa Clause leaves presents."

"You realize Santa Clause isn't—"

"Shut up! Lalalalala! Not listening!" Jubilee stuck her fingers in her ear and the snowmobile swerved. Laura grabbed the controls and steadied them. Jubilee took control back.

"Sorry."

"Apologies."

Both girls said it at the same time and laughed quietly.

"Continue." Laura said.

"Probably just going to spend holidays at the Institute, do a bit of retail therapy, maybe hit some clubs, dunno. Gonna be boring…"

Laura pressed her face into Jubilee's back, not for warmth, but as a sign of compassion. "I am sorry."

Jubilee smiled sadly. "It's fine. Don't worry about it."

"I can spend Christmas with you if you wish. If is truly a big step to spend the holidays with someone, then I will spend them with you."

"You totally phrased that wrong." Jubilee laughed. "And thank you, Laura."

The clone snuggled closer.  
>-<p>

Rahne sat on the bed, tapping the little white stick in her hand. Her foot was tapping nervously as well, very fast. The Scot let out a growl and dropped the stick on the bed, morphing into wolf form and patrolling the floors of Roberto's room. She lay down, tucking her head between her paws and whimpering.

Something moved in the hallway and Rahne's ears perked up. Roberto entered the room and Rahne morphed into human form.

"Rahne?" he asked, closing the door behind him. "What're you doing here?"

Rahne opened her mouth to speak, but no words would come forth. She bit her lip and walked over to the bed, picking up the stick again. She stared at it, tapping it in her hand before handing it to Roberto. He stared at her and took it. His eyes widened.

"Rahne—you—you're pregnant?" he asked.

Rahne nodded, tears in her eyes.

"But-but-" Roberto was speechless, and _not_ in a good way.

Rahne smiled. "I don't know what to do, but I love it! I can' wait to be a mommy!"

Roberto's expression wiped the happy one off of Rahne's face.

"Robbie?" she asked.

Roberto took a deep breath. "So what are you going to do?" he asked.

"Huh?" Rahne asked, taking the stick back dumbfoundedly.

"Are you going to keep the baby or not?" Roberto asked. "But remember a baby is a lot of work, and it wouldn't fit in well here at the Institute, and if it's a mutant, it's in for a life just like ours and—"

"You don't want me to keep the baby?" Rahne asked, tears in her eyes again.

"That isn't what I said—" Roberto said.

"But it's what ye meant." Rahne frowned. "I can't give the babeh up! Don' you wan' a babeh?"

Roberto looked her in the eyes and without a moment's hesitation said "no."

Rahne was dumbfounded.

"Here's the deal, Rahne." He said. "It's me or the baby."  
>-<p>

Kitty skidded to a stop, snow flying from her speeder, and pushed the goggles out of her eyes, pinching her eyebrows. Piotr slid up next to her, displacing much more snow. Some rabbit dug his way out and darted off. Kitty sighed.

"I don't see her, Piotr." She said.

"We can not give up on her!" Piotr exclaimed, his strong voice desperate.

"We're not!" Kitty said. "We're not! I'm just suggesting we get the shuttle and do a thermal imaging scan, try and see if we can't find her that way."

"Too many animals." Piotr said simply.

Kitty glanced around, seeing nothing, but took his word for it.

"Piotr, I'm sorry about Illyana."

"Not your fault." Piotr said, glancing around.

"No, but I'm still sorry."

Piotr smiled at her. "You are very sweet, my kitty cat."

Kitty laughed. She loved it when Piotr called her that. It gave her a sense that everything was fine. Even if they were in a Sentinel-infested, mutant-hating country looking for Piotr's sister who was out here in the freezing tundra with a pack of "demons" chasing her.

"Hey, what's that?" Piotr asked. He pointed towards the horizon. It took Kitty a minute to see it, but there was a large group of black specks darting across the white landscape, heading towards an abandoned town.

"Let's go find out!" Kitty exclaimed, pushing the goggles over her eyes and speeding off, Piotr right next to her.  
>-<p>

Rachel hovered softly above the snow, glancing around, the tattoo over her eye glowing slightly. Her father screeched up behind her a moment later. He was breathing heavily, the icy air burning his lungs. Rachel landed softly in the snow.

"How much further do you think this girl could be, Rachel?" Scott asked, pushing his red goggles up onto his face and pulling the white mask down. His breath created a huge cloud every time he spoke.

"I don't know." Rachel replied, scanning the horizon. She knew _exactly_ how much further Betsy was, she was dragging her dad through this to make him suffer.

"Rachel, I don't have to be a telepath to know when you're keeping something." Scott said, leaning against the handle-bars of his speeder.

"What?" Rachel asked.

"Come on, Rachel." Scott said. "You call your mother "mom", but you refer to me as "Scott". What's up with that? Second, I can tell you know more about this Braddock girl than you're letting on."

"What makes you say that?"

"I'm your father."

Rachel huffed silently and turned to scan the horizon again. "I'm getting a spike northwest of here. Let's go."

Before Scott could protest, Rachel zoomed off in the direction of a forest. Scott sighed and kicked his speeder bike back into motion, speeding after his daughter.  
>-<p>

"Wow, thanks, dad!" Warren exclaimed, throwing his coat onto his father's desk and knocking papers to the ground. "I think I'm going to buy you a Dad of the Year coffee cup."

Worthington leaned heavily against the doorway. "I don't like this anymore than you do, son."

"Oh, like hell!" Warren exclaimed. "You're going to let Kelly just march his damned Sentinels through every city and "cure" us? You know exactly what's going to happen the first time a mutant stands up against him, like Magneto, or Rogue, or anyone else. He's going to order the Sentinels to kill every mutant in America!"

Warren marched up to his father and jabbed his finger into the old man's chest. "Then _you_ will be responsible for the _murder_ of _your_ son and everyone like him!"

"Warren! I don't have a choice!"

"You always have a choice." Warren growled, pulling off his shirt to reveal his red and white X-Men uniform beneath, flexing his wings. "You are just too cowardly to make the right one."

With that, Warren flew off into the setting sun.  
>-<p>

Lorna laughed and wriggled her hips, making Bobby squirm. She leaned down and kissed him, pressing her body to his. She slipped her tongue into his mouth and the two lay there for a moment, her hands resting on his short, blonde hair, his on the soft fabric of her pajama top on her lower back. After a moment, Lorna pulled away and pulled his shirt off. She gasped softly upon seeing the ice crater. She reached down and gently traced it with her finger.

"It's gotten bigger." She whispered.

"I always wondered what it would be like to have a girl tell me that." Bobby said, attempting poorly to make a joke.

Lorna smiled. "Bobby, this is getting serious. It's the size of a saucer!"

Bobby grunted and looked down at the growing portion of his chest which was ice. "I know…" he muttered. "Lorna, you promised not to talk about it…"

"That's what got us together in the first place." Lorna replied. "And it's hurting you. I can see it. I can't just sit here while whatever is happening to you happens."

Bobby placed his hands on her hips and stared at her.

"You're very beautiful…" he whispered.

"Don't change the topic." Lorna whispered in return with a smile.

The two lay there for a moment when Lorna suddenly had an idea. "What about getting Jean to look at it?"

"No." Bobby said, sitting up, pushing his head back against the backboard of the bed.

"Bobby—"

"Lorna, you said you wouldn't—"

"Bobby! I can't just let this happen!" Lorna exclaimed, struggling to keep her tears back. "You mean a lot to me and I can't stand to have you mope around and sneak into the med bay when you think I'm asleep—yes I know—when a simple conversation with Jean could fix this?"

"But what if it can't?" Bobby asked. "What if I'm stuck like this, and one day I really will be an Ice-Man? If we tell Jean—"

"What's the worst that could happen?"

"She could tell everyone!"

Lorna bit her lip. She could definitely see why Bobby didn't want everyone to know.

"She can keep a secret."

"Lorna—"

"Bobby."

The two stared at each other and Bobby finally sighed. "Alright. I'll talk to Jean tomorrow."

Lorna made a happy giggle and pressed her lips to his again. Bobby's eyes widened and he placed his hands on her butt, gripping and grinning hard.  
>-<p>

The girl ran down the streets of the village. The inhabitants had seen her coming from a mile away and had hidden indoors. The people of Russia were very superstitious, especially in these parts, and they wanted nothing to do with sorcery or mutants. It was one of the ways the president had been able to pass the Sentinel bill with the support of the public.

She was dressed in a red poncho-like top with a hood attached to that. Her clothes beneath were black and ripped. She wore skinny jeans and pieces of fur over them that had been previously used to keep her legs warmed, but after her pursuit, had been ripped off by her pursuers. Over her pants she had a torn, yellow skirt.

She tripped and fell face first into the snow. She yelped and covered her head and closed her eyes as one of the large, black wolves following her leapt.

Nothing happened.

Illyana Rasputin slowly opened her eyes to see her older brother Piotr standing over her, wrestling with a wolf before picking it up and throwing it into a wall. It fell to the ground, unmoving. The rest of the wolves, about seven left, had cleared room when a brunette girl, Kitty Pryde, Illyana assumed, screeched up on her speeder.

"Piotr!" Illyana exclaimed, leaping up and hugging her older brother. Piotr returned the hug.

"Um, guys, sorry to interrupt-" Kitty said.

Piotr looked up and shook his sister off. He grabbed some snow from the ground and started making a giant snowball. The wolves were growling, inching closer.

"What? Are we going to get into a snowball fight with them?" Kitty demanded.

"This is the distraction. Do you have the tranquilizer gun from the ship?" Piotr asked.

Kitty reached into the cargo compartment on her speeder and pulled it out.

"Shoot as many as you can!" With this last exclamation, Piotr threw the snowball and the wolves bolted. Kitty aimed and slowed down time, moving through it fluidly, shooting each wolf with a tranquilizer dart. They whimpered and fell to the ground.

"Surprisingly easy." Kitty said. "I'm not complaining though…"

Illyana leapt at Kitty, kissing her on the cheek. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

Kitty was stupefied. Piotr laughed.

"She is very energetic." He explained.

"I can see." Kitty replied. "Hello, Illyana. It's nice to finally meet you."

"You as well!" Illayna exclaimed.

Piotr's sister was taller than Kitty, most people were, but Illyana was almost as tall as Jean, who was about five and a half feet tall. She had long, blonde hair, which Kitty didn't understand since Piotr had jet-black hair, and she had creamy, light brown eyes that seemed to spark with a magnificent light within her soul. She looked very pretty from what Kitty could see. It was obvious the girl had been running for some time with little in which to rest.

"What happened to you, sister?" Piotr asked. "You never replied to our e-mail."

"After I send last e-mail, monsters start after me." Illyana's English was not as good as Piotr's, but getting better. She had been looking to immigrate to the United States in a few months time.

"You've been running for two weeks?" Kitty asked.

"No." Illyana replied. "At first they only come at night. Then they come in day. Before I hid in barn, then in town. Then I was kicked out."

She seemed like a little girl explaining her barbie doll adventures that day, not a sixteen year old who had been running from monsters for two weeks. Piotr's face hardened when he heard of the villagers' actions again.

"I run for four days now. I try to find help, no one will…will…"

"Pomoch'?" Kitty asked, using the Russian word.

Illyana nodded frantically. "I am glad you two came! You saved my life!" She kissed Kitty on the cheek again. Then she turned and hugged her brother once more.

"Why are these things after you, Illyana?" Kitty asked.

"I do not know. At first I thought they creations by President to kill mutants. They alive, though."

"They're not Sentinels?" Kitty asked. "Well why else…"

Something on Kitty's waist beeped as she neared one of the unconscious wolves.

"Kitty?" Piotr asked. Illyana, too, seemed interested in the beeping box.

"I-I-This has never happened before!"

"What is it?" Piotr demanded.

"It's a box to measure magical auras. You know, supernatural stuff. Dimensional rifts…these guys are registering off the charts!"

"So they are demons?" Illyana asked, looking at Piotr.

"Whatever they are, they called for backup." Kitty said, pointing in the distance where a dozen specks were rushing towards them. "Time to go!"  
>-<p>

Rachel landed softly next to a small, stone hut near the edge of the woods. Her red and yellow clothes made her clash with the snow, but she was completely silent. About thirty yards behind her, Scott Summers snowmobile was blowing up snow and creating lots of noise.

"Shh!" Rachel chastised, moving carefully, her boots make soft sounds in the snow. Scott nodded and got off of his motorcycle, moving slightly louder to the side of the house and peering in a window.

"I don't see anyone." He said.

The glass shattered and he stumbled backwards, falling on his back. A girl in black leapt down from the roof and landed on his stomach, planting her feet into his flesh. Scott made an "umph!" sound and his glasses fell off. At first he panicked, shutting his eyes and reaching for his glasses. Then he remembered he no longer had his mutant powers.

"Rachel!" he exclaimed.

The red-head darted to his side as the black-haired girl fled to his still-running speeder bike.

"Rachel!" he exclaimed again.

The snowmobile spewed snow and ice, and the girl screamed away.

"I've got her!" Rachel exclaimed, flying off after the girl.

"Yeah! I'm fine! Thanks for asking…" Scott muttered.  
>-<p>

"Hey, Jean!" Lorna beamed.

"What are you two up to?" Jean asked, typing in one last calibration on the security lock before closing the panel and turning to look at the green-haired mutant and the cryokinetic.

"Could we talk?" Lorna asked. "In the Infirmary?"

Jean looked slightly taken back, but agreed. It was an unwritten rule not to read someone's mind in the Institute unless you had suspicion to believe lives were at stake.

"So what is it?" she asked, closing the glass doors behind the three.

There was slight hesitation as the two younger mutants glanced back and forth before Bobby finally spoke up. "There's something I've been hiding."

Jean stood there, arms folded over her chest, waiting. Bobby glanced at Lorna, who encouraged him to go further with a nod of her head, and pulled the shirt over his head.

Jean gasped when she saw the ice on his chest. Bobby just stood there and let the telepath scan him over.

"When did it start?" Jean asked softly.

"About two months after Days of Future Past." Bobby said. "I remember getting shot there and patching it up with ice, but that was an alternate past. Right?"

"That's tricky stuff, Bobby. Only Iron Man and Doctor Strange have really dealt with other dimensions. As far as I know though, and I don't know much I'm afraid, this shouldn't be happening."

Bobby looked down at his feet, disappointed. Lorna glanced at him before speaking up.

"Bobby and I have been looking into it for some time, but we're not sure what to do. Could you help?"

Jean bit her lip. "I can run some tests, but this is more Beast's area of expertise. I'll have to forward everything to him."

"No." Bobby said.

"Bobby!" Lorna exclaimed.

"No! You said only Jean would have to know! I'm not having everyone on Earth finding out I can't control my powers…or whatever this is!" Bobby said firmly.

"Bobby, stop acting like an idiot!" Lorna exclaimed. "McCoy can keep a secret, right Jean?"

Jean nodded.

"You have to trust people to help you. Not everyone needs to be treated with an air of distrust."

Bobby hesitated, bit his lip, thought for a moment, then finally sighed. "Alright, _just_ McCoy and he better keep it a secret."

Jean nodded.  
>-<p>

Storm walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator to look for a drink and some chocolate she had stored in here. Odds were someone had already eaten it, but there was a chance it was—

"Aha!"

Storm pulled out the chocolate and grabbed a soda. She was just about to leave when she heard a whimpering. She paused and listened. It sounded animal-like. She glanced around and picked up the table-cloth, looking underneath.

Rahne was curled up in wolf form, her head underneath her paws. Storm made a clicking noise and Rahne's ears perked up. She removed her paws and looked at Storm.

"Rahne." Storm said softly. "Come on out."

Rahne shook her head and buried it under her paws again. Whenever she was in wolf form, she acted much more animal like than normal. Storm sighed and held out some of the chocolate. Rahne sniffed, but remained where she was. When Storm tossed her some, however, the wolf ate it at an alarming speed.

"What's wrong, Rahne?" Storm asked.

Rahne whimpered. It took about five more pieces of chocolate before the Scot finally morphed to human form and Storm could see just how long she had been crying. Her eyes were so bloodshot, it looked like they were red instead of white. Her face was filthy from tears and dirt. Storm asked what was wrong again and Rahne burst open like a dam.  
>-<p>

Rachel made it alongside the speeder easily and flew parallel to the girl. "Betsy" looked to be of Asian descent, with long, flowing black hair and dark eyes. She was wearing heavy winter clothes. Rachel could tell she had been crying.

'_Go away!'_ Betsy shouted telepathically.

'_I'm here to help you.'_ Rachel replied with a smile. Betsy's eyes widened and she pushed the speeder to go faster.

Rachel's Phoenix tattoo glowed brightly and the speeder slowed to a stop. Despite pushing the throttle as far forward as it would go, the speeder refused to budge. Betsy sighed and stopped trying as Rachel settled down in the snow next to her and smiled.

"What do you want?" Betsy asked, her British accent demanding, and also fearful.

"I'm a friend."

"Never seen you before in my life." Betsy replied.

"Well, not yet. It's a long, complicated story. I'm here to help you though."

"Why should I trust you?" Betsy demanded. "You just stopped this thing in its tracks and you spoke to me telepathically."

"You spoke to me telepathically." Rachel pointed out. Betsy humphed and folded her arms over her chest. Rachel smiled. "I know about your powers. I'm from a place where mutants, people like us, can stay in relative safety. It's called the Xavier Institute."

"I know about it." Betsy said. "My brother talks about it whenever he's home."

Rachel raised an eyebrow. "Have you heard of Jean Grey?" she asked. She already knew from scanning her mind that the Brit knew of Jean.

"Yes." Betsy said.

"I'm her daughter."

Betsy stared at her as if trying to scan her mind. Rachel made it easy, laying out the thoughts she needed to confirm the red-head's story.

"Alright, what do you want?" Betsy asked.

"I'd like to offer you a spot on my team, and a chance to save the world."

"Team?" Betsy asked.

"Well," Rachel smirked. "It's really more-"  
>-<p>

Illyana, Kitty, and Piotr ducked between two buildings, gasping for air.

"I can no keep running!" Illyana gasped. "I have run too long!"

"Just a little longer!" Kitty gasped. She tapped a pad on her wrist and it lit up.

"What was that?" Illyana asked.

"I called in our aircraft. I'm sure these things can't fly. If they can…well..." Kitty grinned. "We have big guns."

Three of the dark creatures slid to the end of the alleyway and growled, baring fangs as large as daggers.

"Katya!" Illyana exclaimed.

"Go!" Piotr shouted, grabbing two handfuls of the walls on either side and throwing them at the wolves. They leapt to the side, then at him. Kitty glanced at him for a moment, then darted off, dragging Illyana with her.

"We can not leave my brother!" Illyana exclaimed.

"We're not!" Kitty replied. "He can handle himself!"

Two wolves charged at them, but Kitty phased, and the wolves flew right through them.

"Illyana! What are your powers?"

"Powers?" Illyana asked as Kitty took up a defensive position. "I have none!"

"Great." Kitty cursed. She glanced at her wrist and saw the chopper was at least thirty seconds out. She looked up and saw Piotr running at them in full metal mode. Five wolves were after him, two more limping behind the pack.

Kitty grabbed the tranquilizer gun from her waist and fired. She had been forced to leave the speeder where they had parked it because of the distance the wolves were making. She had a limited number of shots.

Something buzzed on the horizon and Illyana turned to see a large plane flying towards them at high speeds.

"Incoming!" Piotr shouted.

One of the wolves leapt over his head and grabbed Illyana, sinking its teeth into her.

"Yana!" Kitty shouted. She leapt at the wolf and phased her arm into it's heart. The wolf whimpered and fell dead. Piotr turned around and snapped two wolves necks.

'_Uh-oh_' Kitty thought. It was bad when anyone Piotr's size got angry. Couple that with the fact he was a mutant who had nearly indestructible skin and immense strength and you got a very bad situation.

"Yana!" Kitty exclaimed again, softer this time. She caught the blonde before she could fall to the snow and cradled her in her arms as the S.H.I.E.L.D. Chopper settled in the snow.

"Hold 'em off, Piotr!" Kitty shouted, grabbing Illyana's arms and dragging her onboard. Kitty ran to the cockpit, her brown hair bobbing, and pulled back on the thruster stick, lifting the craft into the air. The turbines on the ship blew up the snow in a cloud of white ice. Piotr slammed his fist into another wolf's snout. Kitty set the craft to hover and hauled herself into the back, climbing the ladder to the gun emplacement. She aimed carefully and blasted two of the wolves.

"Piotr!" she shouted into her comm. "Get on the ship!"

Piotr kicked another wolf. On the horizon, Kitty could see more and more coming from all directions.

"Piotr! Now!"

The Russian ripped a wolf in half and threw each half into another wolf. Kitty glanced at the wolves getting dangerously close.

"Piotr! Think about Illyana!"

Piotr froze, then looked up at the S.H.I.E.L.D. chopper. He slammed one more wolf into the ground and leapt. He grabbed the boarding ramp and hauled himself on board.

Kitty slid down the ladder and leapt over the back of the pilot's seat, gripping the steering wheel even as the seatbelt fastened itself around her. She pressed a button, closing the boarding ramp, and pushed the throttle as far forward as it would go.

The mutants blasted into the cold grey sky.  
>-<p>

Both the X-Jet and the S.H.I.E.L.D. Hellier Jet landed softly on the snow-covered front lawn of the Xavier Institute. While Rachel, Scott, Laura, Jubilee, and a new arrival descended the boarding ramp of the Blackbird, Piotr practically jogged towards the front door with a blonde girl in his arms, Kitty following after the jet had turned off.

Before Piotr got a chance to knock on the door, it opened, and Roberto stormed out. Piotr didn't ask questions, instead rushing past the Professor, Storm, and grabbing Jean to accompany him to the medical bay with a firm hand.

Everyone watched as Roberto tossed his bag into his car and cranked it.

"What's up?" Jubilee asked.

Roberto didn't reply. He merely scowled and stomped the gas, making tracks towards the gates.

The mutants turned to those on the front steps: Charles Xavier, Storm, Emma Frost, and Lorna and Bobby, hand in each others, smiles on their faces.

"Did we miss something?"

"Indeed. Roberto has engaged in behavior not tolerated here at the Institute and has been banned from the grounds. I will explain more inside. Meanwhile, who did Piotr take into the Infirmary?" Charles replied.

"Illyana!" Kitty exclaimed, having totally forgotten about the blonde. She rushed past. Rachel glanced at her and asked on their private telepathic channel if she wanted her to come. Kitty shook her head and disappeared inside the Institute.

"So I see you found Ms. Braddock." Charles said, smiling at the dark haired girl. Now that she wasn't running for her life, one could see she was startlingly beautiful, almost as much so as Jean. Her dark hair seemed almost blue, her eyes dark with sparks of purple in them. She had a flat body, tucked inside loose clothes with a coat draped over her shoulders. "Ms. Braddock, my name is Charles Xavier. Allow me to welcome you to the Xavier Institute."

Betsy smiled and shook his hand.

"Come inside, you must be hungry and tired…"

Emma and Storm brought Betsy inside. Charles turned and smiled broadly. "I have very good news, my X-Men."

"What?" Scott asked.

"Using the sample of your blood you submitted, Scott, Hank McCoy believes he can take the Cure out of it and manipulate it to merely tone down mutant powers, granting control and relief to those who sorely need it."

Lorna clenched Bobby's hand tighter.

"This could be the path to returning your powers to you, granting control to people like Rogue, and perhaps even bringing more allies to our side."

"That's fantastic!" Scott exclaimed. Rachel looked pleased, but inside, she wasn't. This was just another weapon she needed to destroy.

"Come inside, we have much to discuss." Charles said.

Everyone went inside except Jubilee and Laura, the latter of whom grabbed the Asian's hand and held her back.

"Laura. I'm tired and hungry. This had better be good." Jubilee fussed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I need your help." Laura said.

"On what?" Jubilee asked.

"On something you know very well." Laura replied. "The Art of Seduction."

Jubilee grinned and wrapped an arm around the clone's shoulders. "What exactly did you have in mind?"  
>-<p>

Julian was sitting on his bed, scanning social media, when his phone buzzed. He set the computer to the side and picked up his phone. It was Laura.

'_Hello.'_

Julian smiled and texted a hello back. A moment later, his phone buzzed again.

'_How are you today?'_

'_Fine, how are you?'_

'_I am good.'_

This was normally where the two got stuck. They could solve it by going out or something was bugging one of them. Julian sat there trying to think of something to say when the phone buzzed again.

'_What are you wearing?'_

This caught him off-guard. Was Laura trying to have phone-sex with him or just asking? He decided to take the safe route.

'_Jeans & sweater, WBU?'_

It seemed like an hour before Laura replied back: _'Button-up and jeans.'_

Ah well, Julian thought. It was probably too much to ask for anyway.

'_I am not wearing a bra.'_

Julian perked up. What?

'_What r u up to?" _He asked, adding a winky face to the end.

'_I am continuing our previous line of conversation.'_

Whatever this was supposed to be, it was getting warped.

'_Where r u?'_ Julian asked carefully.

'_In your living room.'_ Laura replied.

Julian sat up. No way! He practically fell off of his bed and opened his bedroom door, glancing into the living room.

Sure enough, Laura was sitting on the old, plush green couch. She was indeed wearing a black, button-up shirt and dark jeans. She smiled at him and stood up, walking over to him, past him, into his room. Julian swallowed hard, then remembered she could have heard that, and nervously pushed the door closed.

Laura was indeed bra-less. She had undone the first few buttons on her shirt, revealing an extensive amount of cleavage Julian had not seen before. Her dark hair was straight behind her head, her smile white, perfect teeth, and her eyes had an excitement in them Julian had not seen before.

"Hello." She said, breathlessly.

"You really aren't wearing a bra." Other parts of Julian's body seemed to control his mouth right now, and he was cursing them. Stupid!

"No." Laura agreed, seemingly unphased by the comment.

"You look beautiful." Julian managed to squeeze out. What the hell? "I mean, not because you're not wearing a bra, which is wonderful—that is, I'm not saying what I'm saying because you aren't wearing a bra, which I'm not, it's just—"

Laura laughed. Unlike most of her laughs, this one was joyful and warm. It seemed to resonate pure happiness and joy into the room, filling it with happy things. She leaned in and kissed him, pressing her lips to his. Julian set his hands on her hips, struggling not to reach down and grab her butt. Laura arched her body into his and Julian's self control slipped a little. He grabbed her butt tightly through her jeans. Laura grinned and slid her tongue along his lips.

"Whoah." Julian said, breaking away and looking at Laura. "I thought you said you wanted to wait."

"I did." Laura replied, placing her hands on his chest. "But I am done waiting."

Julian arched an eyebrow. Laura laughed again and pushed him down onto his bed, crawling on top of him and kissing him again. Her soft, silk hair fell over onto his and he ran his fingers through it. Laura sat up after a moment on his groin and twisted her hips sharply, drawing a groan from him.

"You said your family was gone for the holidays?" she asked, unbuttoning another button on her shirt.

"Yes." Julian breathed, wanting nothing but to see more of Laura's skin.

Laura undid another button. Julian could see the bottom curve of her breasts now and she laughed as his body reacted for him. She grinned and raked her hands up under his shirt, warm palms against warm skin. Julian's breath hitched and Laura kissed him, hands running over his chest. She pulled his shirt completely off and pressed her mouth to his chest, tongue dragging over his skin. She licked one of his nipples and erected a shudder from him. Laura grinned. She unbuttoned his jeans, then slowly slid the zipper down. She tugged them off and onto the floor. Her shirt finally was removed as well and Julian stood up, moving towards her, but Laura pushed him down onto the bed again, the two laughing.

Julian surprised Laura and flipped positions until _he_ was on top. She grinned as he kissed her, then trailed his mouth down to her chin, down to her neck. He kissed in one spot for a moment, then moved to another. It took a few seconds for Laura to see what he was doing…or rather...trying _not_ to do.

"Do not worry about leaving a mark." She said, referring to hickies. "I can not get them."

Julian seemed fine with this, latching on to the bob in her throat and suckling on it. Laura gasped and let out a soft moan, her head fell back like it had been severed and her eyes closed in pleasure. Julian sucked there for a moment before moving to Laura's soft breasts. He kissed over the skin and erected something in Laura that went straight down to the middle of her legs. She had never had anyone touch her there and it felt _incredible_. Julian found one of her nipples and sucked on it. Laura moaned and writhed on the bed, letting her ecstasy control her body.

Julian massaged her breasts for several minutes before kissing further south. He found her belly-button and slid his tongue inside of it, kissing it. Laura shivered and looked at him, his dark hair messy and askew as he kissed his way down her body. She felt the button on her jeans come undone, and much like she had done with him, her jeans soon joined his on the floor.

Julian's hands and mouth were now preoccupied with her thighs. He kissed and stroke them, erecting more feelings in her. She did not realize it, but the memories from HYDRA did not come to her. She did not remember all those times in the Maze. All she could think of now was Julian's fingers sliding up and grabbing her black panties before dragging them down to her ankles, then onto the floor.

She was completely naked in front of him and he took a moment to capture the image of her body in his mind. She smiled and pulled him in for a kiss. His hands were on her thighs again and then—oh!

"Ah!" she gasped, falling back onto the bed. Julian grinned and watched her move gently as his hand ran against her newly exposed skin softly. Laura gasped and moaned. She grabbed a fistful of his hair and held on to him. Julian grinned.

"If you think that feels good—" he whispered into her ear, removing his hand and sliding down between her legs.

Laura's head snapped back and she let out a loud, ragged moan as Julian buried his head between her legs. She moaned and groaned, writhing on the bed. She grabbed his hair with both hands, holding on tightly with one, gripping tighter when he hit the right spot, and running her fingers through it with the other, the pace quickening with his tongue.

Julian grinned and moved his hand back where his mouth was, working both at the same time. Laura moaned, shivered, gasped, then whimpered. She started whimpering on his bed, her grip in his hair as tight as ever. She thrust her hips into his face, desperately wanting _more_. Julian gave it to her.

Suddenly Laura arched on the bed, her body quivering slightly, her eyes wide. Then she collapsed, letting out a long breath. Julian's head remained down between her legs for a moment more, then he looked at her, grinning.

"You like?" he asked.

Laura was sweating, and couldn't find her voice. She nodded and lay there for a moment, trying to catch her breath.

"That was—spectacular." She finally managed to get out. "I have never experienced anything like that before."

Julian raised an eyebrow. Laura was a virgin? Things kept getting better. Next, she'd tell him he was the first guy she had been with!

"I believe." Laura said after another moment of catching her breath. "I owe you something."

Julian wondered if she was referring to what he thought she was, then she flipped on the bed, lying on her stomach so her face was level with his crotch, and slid his boxers down. Yes, she was.

Julian gasped and nearly fell over on top of her. Holy Hell…  
>-<p>

Another portal opened into the white room and Rachel tugged Jubilee in. The Asian stumbled away and looked at the group of mutants inside the room. Alongside Jubilee, Kitty and the newest addition to the X-Men, Betsy, were standing there. There was also a green-robed figure in the corner, leaning against the wall with a familiar smirk on her familiarly red lips. The room they were standing in was actually a pocket dimension Rachel had created.

"So I'm not the only one crazy-hair here abducted." Jubilee muttered. "What's she want?"

"Just listen, Jubes." Kitty smirked.

Jubilee opened her mouth to say something, but decided to shut it and stood, hands and a legs ready to move while Rachel moved in front of them. A giant "X" engraved itself in flames on the wall behind her. It looked like a slab of steel that had appeared.

"Welcome to X-Force." Rachel greeted.

"X-Force?" Jubilee asked.

"It's a secret team I'm putting together to combat evils the X-Men are not ready to handle, or can't because of their public image." Rachel said. She smiled. "Think of Black-Ops X-Men."

"Ah." Jubilee whispered. "So why exactly choose us, who's green robes over there, and what are we going to be doing…other than the obvious saving the world?"

"I chose all of you because you are…darker among the X-Men and more trustworthy than the others. You are willing to keep secrets and do things the others aren't."

"Like kill." Betsy said.

Jubilee whirled. "Kill?"

"In time," Rachel replied. "Certain things have not happened yet, but it will shape us."

"If you wanted a killer, you should've recruited Laura." Jubilee said. "She's totally into this stuff…secrets, black-ops…"

Rachel smirked.

"You thought of her." Jubilee said.

"'Course she did." The green-robed girl replied.

Jubilee scrunched her face. She recognized that voice…

"I will indeed recruit X-23, but only when she returns."

"Returns?"

Rachel bit her lip. "You won't like this, but something is going to happen to Laura. At first you will hate me for letting it happen, but afterwards you will see it was necessary."

"What are you talking about?" Jubilee demanded. "What's going to happen to Laura?"

"I'll explain in a minute. But for your second question. Rogue?"

Jubilee turned to see the green robes dissipate and the Belle stand before them, smirking, hands on her hips, her body positioned provocatively.

"What the hell?" Jubilee exclaimed. "She betrayed us!"

"Naw." Rogue replied. "I'm undercoveh."

"Undercover? Yeah right." Jubilee snorted. She turned to Kitty. "She isn't really undercover, is she?"

"Yes." Kitty replied. "Xavier and Fury sent her undercover to keep an eye on Magneto. They had to keep it a secret from us though, so it would look real when we encountered her."

"No offense, but y'all are terrible actors." Rogue said.

Jubilee made a humph noise and folded her arms over her chest. "So here we are: a phaser, a sparkle generator, a power vacuum, two telepaths, and a human weapon coming soon. What're we doing here?"

Jean took a deep breath and glanced at Kitty. The brunette nodded and put a hand on her shoulder. Jubilee raised an eyebrow.

'_Stop being perverted.'_ Rachel hissed.

Jubilee lowered the eyebrow.

"Do you remember who we thought bombed Worthington Labs?" Rachel asked.

"Yeah, Ms. Marvel said something about a bird before Rogue put her in the hospital."

"Accident!" Rogue replied.

"The Phoenix." Rachel interrupted before the fight could get any further. "It's a cosmic entity that lives in a host and dies with it's host. It's bent on galactic domination. Now it's here on Earth and I know who it's host is."

"Well let's go smash it! Wipe that bird and it's host off the face of the Earth!" Jubilee said, punching her palm.

"It's my mother."

Silence.

"Oh." Jubilee whispered. "Sorry."

Rachel nodded. "My mother doesn't know it, in fact, only us five do…and Emma Frost."

"Frost?" Rogue asked. "How does she know?"

"When she disappeared last year, that was my mom." Rachel replied. "The Phoenix wiped all memories of the identity of the host from people's minds around the world. When that happened, it set in motion a chain of events that would eventually lead to my mom accidentally unleashing the Phoenix in Egypt and destroying the Earth."

"How did you escape if she destroyed the Earth?" Jubilee asked after a quiet moment.

"My mom, when she realized, told me to get as many X-Men to the under-water bunker as possible. When she went nuclear, we were trapped down there. I studied for years and picked the members of this team carefully before going back in time to create X-Force and save both my mom and the world."

It was silent in the white room.

"So we're going to stop your mom without killing her or destroying the world?" Jubilee asked. "How are we going to do that?"

Rachel looked at Kitty again before sighing and then saying the most bizarre thing like it was the most obvious.

"Well I absorb the Phoenix."

"What?" Rogue demanded. Clearly the two had not talked about this when Rogue had received her invite.

"I will know the Phoenix is in me, I know how to control it, I've worked on my telepathy and telekinesis for years and am more than powerful enough to keep it in check." Rachel said.

"Why not just put it in a jar and send it inta the sun?" Rogue asked.

"Because it's not that simple." Kitty said. "The Phoenix, once it starts growing, needs a host or it'll just go nuclear and move on to another world."

Rogue scrunched her eyebrows, trying to figure out how that worked.

"So let me get this straight." Betsy said, at last speaking up. "After your mum destroyed the world, you went back in time to take the thing that made her do that and put it in you. To do this, you needed to create some hosh-posh team of black-ops mutants who are willing to kill and keep devastating secrets."

Rachel went over it in her mind. "Yeah. Pretty much."

Betsy grinned. "You can count me in, love."

"Ah, sure." Jubilee said. "If my girl X is gonna be in, I guess I'm in."

"Good, Rogue and Kitty are already in. Now we just have to wait for Laura."

"Speaking of which, what's going to happen to her?"  
>-<p>

"How is she?" Piotr asked the moment Jean exited the Infirmary.

The red-head paused and took a deep breath. Kitty and Piotr had been waiting outside the infirmary for almost two hours while Jean examined the female Rasputin. She had kicked them out after Piotr's constant worry began to irritate her. Kitty and Piotr were holding hands. They both obviously cared for Illyana and both were worried about her.

"I don't know." Jean said. She held up a hand to silence Piotr. "I'm no expert on magic. I know science. Whatever those creatures were, they weren't from here, and they have magical properties. I've called in a professional to look her over. He should be here tomorrow. Until then, I can only keep her body stable."

Piotr hesitated, absorbing the information before asking "Is she alright?"

Jean bit her lip. "I don't know, Piotr. I'm sorry. I've put her into a medically induced coma to keep her body as it is now. We'll know more when the Doctor gets here tomorrow."

"Doctor?" Kitty asked.

"Doctor Strange." Jean said. "Sorcerer Supreme and resident master of the magical arts. He'll look over Illyana."

Jean saw the worry on both of the mutants' faces and sighed. "He's the best in the Universe, you two. She'll be fine. I feel it."  
>-<p>

Laura's phone buzzed. At first she didn't hear it. It buzzed three times, then ceased, leaving her in complete silence except for the soft sound of breathing. It buzzed three more times, then ceased once again. The third time it buzzed, Laura blinked, remaining absolutely quiet. Who was texting her at 3:09 a.m.? (Laura had an inner clock so well wound she could tell exactly what time it was even upon waking up.)

Laura looked at Julian, head facing away from her, hand on his chest, fast asleep. Laura stretched her arms and pulled on a tank-top, she left two at Julian's house, and panties before yawning and sitting on the edge of the bed. She picked up her phone. It was probably Jubilee, though she had no idea why the Californian was up this early in the morning—

'_Three Unread Text Messages'_ the phone read. Laura went to unlock it and a fourth one appeared on the screen.

"_Out of the shadows, into the Light. Hail HYDRA."_

Laura straightened. Something had come over her. That message was a code-phrase that had activated a previously hidden sleeper program inside of her mind. Laura stood up and put on her clothes from earlier, buttoning her shirt up completely, pulling her jeans tight, tying her shoe-laces perfectly. She extended a claw quietly and sliced the phone's memory card in half. She turned, her claws out, towards Julian and pressed them gently to his neck—

-then stopped. Her cold claws lay against his neck, and he barely moved. It seemed as if Laura was having an inner struggle on whether or not to kill Julian. Finally, she sheathed her claws and walked towards the window. It was snowing. Laura opened the window quickly, slid out, and closed it behind her. She darted across the yard headed North towards her destination.

**X-Men: Standing Guard Will Return Shortly  
>-<strong>

*Jubal Early from _Firefly_. R.I.P.

**Suicide Squad, another DC team. Super-cool. Check it out.

***A defunct part of S.I.S.


	17. S2E06 Baby Sisters Epilogue

Laura blinked as the mind-control wore off. Her vision was a little hazy, but she was quickly regaining it. She was in some metal room, strapped to a metal table with metal restraints. The walls and ceiling were a mix of steel grey and lime green. She was in her X-Men uniform, how she had gotten into it she wasn't sure because the last thing she remembered was going to sleep with Julian.

Julian! Had she hurt him?

The clone glanced around. Tubes of bubbling liquid, pipes, some opaque, some not, and other scientific equipment surrounded her. The doors to the room slid open with a hiss and a man in a green uniform, balding, with an eyepatch over his left eye walked in. He smiled at Laura and pressed a button, unlocking the restraints holding her in place. Laura jumped onto the ground and extended her claws, leaping at the man's throat with a yell. Her claws came within an inch of his neck and then she froze. She found, no matter how hard she wanted to plunge the metal and bone weapons into his throat, she couldn't.

"Hello, X-23." He greeted. "Remember me?"

She did, which was what scared her. McKenna was supposed to have wiped those memories from her mind. She had a headache.

"Why can I not kill you?" She growled.

"It is your programming, my dear. Welcome home, X-23. Welcome, to HYDRA."

"You abducted me!" Laura hissed.

"No," Strucker said. "You came of your own free will."

"Mind control then!" Laura exclaimed.

"Perhaps a teensy bit." Strucker smiled. "We brought you here for a reason, X-23. You can not leave, you are too deep underground and your purpose too important."

Strucker seemed completely at ease, but definitely in a hurry to talk about something.

"What?" Laura growled.

"This is no longer a world of spies, X-23. Not even a world of heroes." Strucker clasped his hands behind his back. "This is the Age of the Mutants."

"And your role is so much bigger than you realize."


	18. S2E07 Icarus

**AN:  
>-<strong>

_**Previously on X-Men:  
><strong>__-_

Previously  
>-<p>

YA, Spiderman, and Jubes and Risty looking for Cloak and Dagger, see them and Spiderman, engage, Spiderman kicks off and the three flee. Stature reports back to S.H.I.E.L.D., told to hunt down Spiderman  
>-<p>

Angel tied down to table, Mr. Sinister acts creepy, starts to cut off his wings, cut  
>-<p>

Rogue searching for HYDRA base, contacted by Fury, argument, Rogue ends communication  
>-<p>

Laura goes through Weapon X procedure (or starts to, screams in last shot)

**X-Men: Standing Guard  
>Season 2 Episode Eight<br>"Icarus"  
><strong>-

_**One Week Later…**_  
>-<p>

Kate Bishop gearing up, Kitty checking to see if she's okay, talk about death of Kate's father at her hands. Kate called off manhunt for Spiderman, but still wants to recruit Cloak and Dagger to YAs. Kitty promises to help. Apologizes and says she has no idea how SHIELD got Kate's ID. Kate points out Rogue, but Kitty says Rogue wouldn't be involved with SHIELD. America gets location on Cloak and Dagger  
>-<p>

Rogue comes out of forest near Weapon X base and uses sniper rifle to take out guards before running in.  
>-<p>

HYDRA training Laura in the maze and use Killer Scent. Laura attempts to retaliate, but HYDRA moves to "next stage" and plan to erase her memories.  
>-<p>

X-Men training on ground, playful, touch on Rahne, Bobby, Lorna, Rachel, Kitty, Emma, Amara and her feelings for Julian, etc here, have ARCH-Angel swoop in and attack, not sure how to respond, fight him off, but he steals Dazzler, who was there, and leaves.  
>-<p>

Just Kate and Kitty arrive to talk to Cloak and Dagger, Kate reveals she called off SHIELD, Spiderman and her talk, says she just wants to talk with Cloak and Dagger, help them be heroes, maybe supply them. Two hesitant, but agree.  
>-<p>

HYDRA going through Laura's mind, see Rogue in her memories as Laura's friend, shocked, discuss, Strucker says he has better plan than wiping Laura's mind. Pulls her out of stasis, she's weak, he helps her stand and says someone very important needs to talk to her. Reveal Madame HYDRA, as Laura leaves, Strucker goes to talk with officers about Heli-Carrier, put launch in April.  
>-<p>

Madame HYDRA and X-23 talk about Rogue, what do you truly know. Laura refuses to believe, HYDRA presents evidence, Laura thinks.  
>-<p>

Rogue fights her way into the base and takes out guards, demands to know how to get to [Project Name from Season 1 finale]  
>-<p>

Emma leaves house and walks towards pool where Jean and Scott are, plans to kill Jean, Rachel uses powers to turn her around and force her back inside, Emma vs. Rachel before battle  
>-<p>

Arch-Angel delivers Dazzler to Sinister, Sinister smiles and plans to steal her powers, promises she can leave, just not alive. Sinister takes her blood and tells Angel to kill her. Lorna and Bobby arrive and save her, say SHIELD tracked her.  
>-<p>

Gambit in room, thinking, decides to leave  
>-<p>

Laura talking to Madame HYDRA, HYDRA says if Rogue really cared about her, why would she let this happen? Why didn't she save her? It's been a month. Laura concedes and gets up from where she's sitting to walk with Madame HYDRA to join HYDRA, Madame HYDRA receives knife to neck and killed, Laura happy to see Rogue, hugs her, tells her about what HYDRA said, Rogue lies. Two go to war. Fight through soldiers into main room where Rogue sees the Heli-Carrier plans and Strucker, attacks, Rogue and X-23 fight until Laura knocked out, Rogue kicks serious ass, knocked back and loses weapons, Strucker, out of ammunition and only survivor, comes to kill Rogue with knife, Rogue presses on Laura's wrist and uses her claws to kill Strucker, stands up and wipes brow. Goes to computer and downloads files.  
>-<p>

Emma vs Rachel psychic battle, Rachel kills Emma and disintegrates her body using Phoenix powers  
>-<p>

Laura wakes up, Rogue cradling her, two talk, Rogue says she has to go, SHIELD is on the way, tells Laura to go to Lab No. ? and open a filing cabinet and get a journal from inside, Rogue disappears, Laura grabs journal and hides it, SHIELD arrives and escorts her home.  
>-<p>

X-Men discussing Laura, Angel, Dazzler, Sinister, HYDRA, Emma, how busy it's been recently  
>-<p>

Laura tells Rachel she's not sure the sleeper program has been erased, Rachel confirms it has.  
>-<p>

Amara tells Julian good-bye, he thanks her for helping while Laura was gone, she tries to kiss him, but he pushes her away and she doesn't understand, having thought he like her. Julian leaves.  
>-<p>

Kate and Young Avengers along with Cloak and Dagger as newest members prepare for a Hulkling and Thor-kid in Midtown at Oscorp. Avengers Assemble or something. (Mention Green Goblin)  
>-<p>

Rogue talking to Fury on her comm, tells him about Heli-Carrier. Fury serious. Starts to lecture her, Rogue says she's her own woman and not a little girl who will follow orders. Fury warns her. Rogue mentions killer scent. Fury agrees to eradicate it. Rogue walks into her room and sees note, reads it and discovers Gambit left, sits on bed and cries.  
>-<p>

Rachel pulls Laura into pocket dimension and introduces her to full X-Force roster: Rachel Grey, Psylocke, Kitty Pryde, Rogue, Jubilee, X-23. Final line: "Welcome to X-Force."  
>-<p>

**-  
>X-Men: Standing Guard Will Return Shortly<br>**-


	19. S2E07 Icarus Epilogue 1

Rogue calls Charles and tells him HYDRA has a spy in the X-Men


	20. S2E07 Icarus Epiloue 2

Rachel contacts Eli and tells him the blood he sent her did test positive for drug abuse. Asks if he wants help with Kate, Eli says no.


	21. S2E07 Icarus SCENE- RogueLaura

"Agent Rogue?" Rogue asked concerned. "What'd she say, Laura?"

"She-She said you were an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D." Laura stuttered. "She said you were only put in place to watch over me. That you were my _keeper_ and _not a friend_. That—"

"Shh." Rogue whispered, pulling Laura close to her body, embracing her. "She's evil, honey, she's just tryin' t' put thoughts in ya head."

Laura pressed her face into Rogue's chest. "Just-Just tell me it is not true, and I will believe you."

Rogue paused, then bit back tears of her own. She knew she could never tell Laura now. Everything she had ever wanted for the girl, it was all over. Rogue took a deep breath and told the most damaging lie of her life.

"It ain't true. I ain't S.H.I.E.L.D." Rogue replied.

Laura didn't say anything. She just pressed her face into Rogue's chest, absorbing her warmth in this cold, metal facility.

"I know why you left." Laura said. "And I understand why you could not tell me."

Rogue smiled. "I knew you'd fig're it out."

Laura's face was serious. "If you had truly betrayed us, you would not have come for me."

Rogue smiled again, much softer this time, tears streaming from her eyes. "You are everything t' me, X."

Laura smiled, then turned and stared at the elevator. "They are coming, the X-Men. You must leave."

"Are y' sure?" Rogue asked, putting a strong hand on Laura's shoulder.

"Yes." Laura replied. "Go!"

Rogue took off when Laura called her name again. "Rogue?"

Rogue turned.

"I love you, my sister." Laura said.

Rogue bit back even stronger sobs. "I-I love ya, too, X." she said, then disappeared into the darkness of the facility.


	22. S2E01 Alternate Opening

_Rogue gasped, clenching her hand weakly to her side. She could feel her blood flowing out. She was too weak to clamp down on the wound. She had lost her watch, it was some three feet away. All she could do was stare at it, she couldn't feel her legs anymore. The blades had pierced her spine. She couldn't crawl to the watch to activate the emergency beacon. She was trapped, bleeding out on the floor, her breath stuttered, she was losing the ability to breathe. Her heart slowed, she could feel it. The dark form of her killer stood over her. How could they have done this to her? She should never have lied…_

_Her heart stopped beating._  
>-<p>

Rogue gasped, sitting straight up in the bed. Her heart beat at an extremely fast rate. She was sweaty, her thin sheets twisted around her body. She had been squirming again. She had a knife in her hand, she must have grabbed it instinctively while she was asleep.

_**Six Months Ago**_  
>-<p>

Rogue sighed and placed the knife back on her nightstand. She hated this dream. Always the same one: the first time she had trained with McKenna.

-_  
>The forest was dark, leaves covering the ground. Rogue made entirely too much noise as she ran from her attacker. A second arrow flew past the girl and she gasped, stumbling slightly, and fell face first into a tree-stump. She scrambled up, but tripped again, falling on her back and looking at the archer in black and red approaching her. Rogue, without her signature white stripes, wasn't done yet. She kicked at the archer's legs, giving her enough time to stand up. The archer already had her bow trained back on Rogue. The red-head eyed the lethal, pointy tip of the arrow.<em>

"_Yield," the provocative voice ordered._

"_Make me," Rogue growled._

_The archer smirked beneath her mask and adjusted the arrow to remind Rogue of its proximity._

_Rogue smiled and ducked low, the archer re-aiming and firing. Rogue jumped into the air, grabbed a tree-branch, and kicked at the archer. The hooded female caught her leg, however, and jerked her down, tossing her to the ground. Rogue kicked her bow out of her hand and attempted to flee again. The female archer fell on top of Rogue, pinning her legs down. Rogue swatted with her fists. The archer held those down, too._

"_You refuse to yield."_

"_That ain't how I do things where I'm from." Rogue growled, still struggling fruitlessly._

"_You never heed my advice." _

"_I don't need yo're stupid advice." Rogue growled again. "I'm fine on m' own!"_

"_And yet," the archer stood up, releasing Rogue. "You fail every time we battle."_

_Rogue narrowed her eyes. The girl laughed, tugging off her hood and mask, revealing a soft face with a pointy chin and deep brown eyes. Her hair, too, was brown and done in curls except for three black, straight stripes on either side of her head._

"_It ain't funny."_

"_I have discovered the name by which I am going to call you."_

_Rogue raised an eyebrow. "Well don't keep me in suspense."_

"_Introductions. I am McKenna Pryde, of the rank Kyoshi. I hereby officially take you as my apprentice and name you _ye haizi_."_

"_Yay what?" Rogue asked._

_McKenna laughed. "_Ye Haizi_, it means "stubborn one"."_

_Rogue narrowed her eyes again, staring at McKenna. Slowly she smiled._

"_So what do I call you?" she asked._

"_That is something you will learn in time, _ye haizi_." McKenna replied, turning and walking off. "Return with me to the main fortress and drink."_  
>-<p>

Rogue descended the stairs of the Xavier Institute. She had tugged on a bathrobe and tied it tightly around her waist, covering as much of her body as she could. Ever since her loss of powers, Rogue had been more conservative in her dressing. She couldn't afford to drain someone. Rogue's slippers made soft noises on the stairs. She sighed and glanced at the clock on the oven in the kitchen as she entered. Four in the morning. It was like a routine now. So many nightmares, so many sleepless nights.

Rogue walked over to the refrigerator and opened it, pulling out a pint of milk and pouring some in a cup. She grabbed a packet of instant cocoa and mixed it up in the drink, sipping the chocolate cold. Rogue turned to sit down at the table when she spotted a flickering light in the next room. It was obviously the television, but who would be up at this time of the night (or morning depending on your point of view)? Rogue walked in the room and glanced at the television. The channel kept switching. A nature documentary, a cop show, shopping network, the channels flicked by in a matter of seconds. The channel stopped on _In the Heat of the Night_.

"That is your favorite show." A voice came from the couch.

"How'd ya know I was up?" Rogue asked, walking around front and sitting next to Lara.

"I heard your slippers on the stairway." Lara replies, perfect grammar as usual. She doesn't move her eyes from the television. Rogue notes they, too, have dark spots under them.

"M' slippers gave me away?" Rogue asked.

"No, your opening the milk and chocolate did."

Rogue nods and takes a sip of her drink.

"What are you doin' up?"

"I…" Lara seems hesitant, something Rogue has only seen once before: Lara's first undercover mission, back when they worked with the Sentinel Project and her name was X-23.* "I, too, could not sleep."

"Dreams?" Rogue asked.

_Now_ Lara looks at her. "How did you know this fact?"

"I guessed." Rogue admitted. "What are the dreams about?"

Lara hesitated. "What of your dreams?" she retorted.

"So stalemate it is, then." Rogue replied, turning to the television and watching as Sherriff Gillespie and Mr. Tibbs fought it out.

Lara flips the channels again as the show goes to commercial break. The next channel is a news one and Rogue lays a hand on Lara's sleeve, indicating she stop. Lara turns up the volume so they can hear it.

"…_six month anniversary of the Days of Future Past event. Yes, it's hard to believe, but six months ago mutants traveled _through time_ to save President Robert Kelly from assassination by mutant terrorist Erik Lenscherr, aka Magneto."_

"Once a terrorist, always a terrorist." Rogue muttered.

"_While the initial aftershock of the event shattered mutant-human relations and battles between mutants and Sentinels broke out all over the nation, a peace treaty was ratified by President Kelly and Charles Xavier of the Xavier Institute. This treaty brought fighting on a major scale to a halt as well as many anti-mutant legislation in Congress. America's move has inspired many countries around the world, although Russia, Iran, and North Korea are still proceeding with their Sentinel Programs despite global outrage."_

All of the Sentinels had been destroyed during that fateful night. Not a single one remained. As far as S.H.I.E.L.D. could tell, Lara had been successful at wiping the AI and blueprints from Trask Industries. Rumor had gone around that President Kelly had visited Trask Industries just two days before Larry Trask's tragic car crash that killed his entire family, but that was never proved.

"_Startling news broke earlier this week that Worthington Labs was developing a "cure to mutants". While Worthington Labs founder and CEO Warren Worthington II declined to comment, sources close to the Labs state that Worthington is mere weeks away from developing the cure. The Senate Mutant-Affairs committee is expected to call Mr. Worthington in front of them later this week to discuss breaches in the mutant-human peace treaty. S.H.I.E.L.D. will not be in attendance."_

"They're still cleanin' up their ranks." Rogue informed Lara. "So many damn HYDRA agents…"

"It is startling how deeply S.H.I.E.L.D. was infiltrated." Lara replied. "I am surprised the World Committee did not disband them."

"S.H.I.E.L.D. is too valuable." Rogue replied. "'sides, Alexander Pierce was HYDRA, so the Committee ain't got _rights_ to do any _disbandin'_."  
>-<p>

Amara crept down the stairs quietly, giggling, Kitty right behind her. The two girls crept across the living room to where Lara and Rogue were asleep, Lara's head resting gently on Rogue's shoulder. Amara giggled and moved Lara's hand into the open, spraying whipped cream onto it. The two girls giggled quietly as Lara shifted in her sleep. Kitty grinned and handed the feather duster to Amara. The two girls stood up and backed away behind the couch, standing behind it. Amara held the feather close to Lara's face and tickled it against her nose. Lara scrunched her nose and kept sleeping. Amara giggled and tickled Lara's nose again. Lara planted the whipped cream in her face. The moment it came in contact with her face, she sat straight up, looking around for an attacker. Kitty and Amara laughed outright and darted down the hall.

"Kitty! Amara!" Lara roared. She chased off after the girls who screamed hysterically.

All of the noise had awoken Rogue. The red-head checked her hands for whipped cream before rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She stood up and readjusted the bathrobe, brushing her red hair behind her shoulders, and walking into the kitchen.

Rogue had grown out her hair over the summer. It now hung down near her elbows, curling slightly at the ends. She had kept up the white streaks in her hair, using the special way in which McKenna had dyed it to dye it again. She still looked like the same old Rogue, except much more tired.

"Rogue!" Jean exclaimed. "Good morning!"

Rogue smiled and sat down, exhausted. Jean placed a plate of pancakes down in front of her and Rogue bit into them.

"Where are Kitty, Amara, and Lara? I could have sworn they were up."

"Oh… they're out getting' their mornin' exercise." Rogue replied deviously. Something shattered in the next room and Jean sighed, placing her head in her hands.

Rogue smiled.

"Good morning, everyone." Erik greeted, walking into the kitchen. Ever since the Days of Future Past incident, Erik and the other mutants had returned with him to the Xavier Institute. Erik was currently working on setting up a mutant school in Genosha, a subsidiary of the Xavier Institute, but it was taking some time. Many of the older, and younger, students who had families and were mostly in their powers, had returned home for the first part of the school-year until the secondary academy opened. It was much easier to be a mutant now with the peace treaty in effect. Not everyone followed it, but most people had just been looking for a side to take.

"No muffins, Erik." Rogue stated through a mouth full of food. "I hate English food."

"You just have no taste." Erik replied, grabbing three muffins and putting them on his plate.

"Oh, I got taste," Rogue replied, pointing her fork at him. "Yo're the one who says everything funny and eats funny food…"

"Why thank you, Rogue, I speak funny too." Charles said, rolling into the room.

"Sorry, Prof." Rogue mumbled.

Charles smiled and gestured for Erik to grab him a muffin as well. "Rogue, the Principal at the local high-school wishes to speak with you…_again_."

"What'd Lara do this time?" Rogue asked.

"Her boyfriend claims she dislocated his shoulder when he tried to kiss her."

Lara walked in the room at this moment, breathing deeply with a big grin on her face.

"Is that true, X?" Rogue asked. She still referred to the clone in passing as "X".

"Is what true?"

"Did you dislocate ya boyfriend's shoulder when 'e tried t' kiss ya?"

"First, and foremost," Lara said, heaping scrambled eggs onto her plate. "He is _not_ my boyfriend. I do not have one. To answer your question, I did dislocate his shoulder. He was getting too…aggressive."

"Good girl." Rogue replied, taking a bite out of her pancakes.

"Rogue!" Jean exclaimed. "You can't condone that type of behavior!"

"Why the hell not?" Rogue demanded. "She's got t' learn t' stand up for herself!"

"What'd she do now?" Jubilee asked, walking into the kitchen with messy, spiky hair and a loose pair of pajamas on.

"Dislocated some guy's shoulder." Jean exclaimed.

"Good girl." Jubilee grinned, rubbing Lara's hair. Lara laughed and leaned her head into it, growling like an animal. Jubilee burst out laughing.

"See?" Rogue asked, gesturing at Jubilee.

"Jubilee isn't the best person to be taking advice from." Jean sighed. "Besides, you are her official guardian now, you have to act like one."

Rogue sighed and set her fork down, watching as Lara grabbed a glass of orange juice and sat down at the table.

"Lara, I do agree with Jean on this one."

"That is a surprise." Lara noted, taking a sip from her drink.

"Ya have t' be careful the way you react. Kissin' doesn't deserve a dislocated shoulder. Ask, try t' get away, then if he still ain't got the picture, kick 'is ass an' I'll be fine with it."

Lara sighed. "I still do not understand how all of the boys at school do not get the point that I am not interested in…"going out"."

"_Boobs_." Rogue responded. "Trumps _everything_ else."

Jubilee laughed and pointed her fork at Rogue with a mouth full of food. "She's got a point."

Rogue smiled and Jean sighed.

"So, Jean, where's Scott?" Rogue asked. "All tuckered out from a night of…refreshing activity?"

"Don't be gross, Rogue." Jean replied. "I'm letting him sleep in this morning. He's tired. He deserves it."

"I'm sure." Rogue muttered with a devious smile, leaning into her breakfast. She grabbed Lara's glass and took a deep drink out of it, setting it back down.

"Did you guys see the news report this morning?" Jean asked, changing the subject.

"Last night." Rogue corrected. "If any of y'all stayed up for the eleven news, you'd've seen it."

Jean rolled her eyes.

"I saw it." Erik started. "You know that President Kelly, who shouldn't even be in office, provided military funding to Worthington? No doubt trying to get that blasted cure of his off the ground."

"We have no proof, Erik." Charles said.

"Proof my ass. I ought to go up there and show them what they're trying to cure."

"Which would only encourage them." Charles pointed out.

"Please—" Rogue said. "I've got a headache, and we've already got enough to deal with."

"I have a feeling it's gonna be a long, chaotic next few months."  
>-<p>

-  
><strong>X-Men: Standing Guard<br>Season 2, Episode One  
>"In Need of an Angel"<br>**-


	23. X-Men: Standing Guard Explained

**Episode Nine: "X-Force"**_  
><em>WE ARE X-FORCE- Rachel's team, now with all of its members, begin their campaign against Mr. Sinister and are assisted by a CIA agent. While on an interrogation mission, Rachel loses focus and becomes intrigued by Special Agent John Sublime. Laura struggles with what happened to her at the Weapon X Project and is not entirely convinced her sleeper program has been removed. Gambit finds a way to control his powers, but he must first make a deal with the devil (Sinister). Magneto begins to doubt Rogue's allegiance. Jean struggles with the Phoenix Force without realizing what she's struggling with.

_(NOTE: This episode is mostly flashbacks to Rogue's past in the Hand, specifically revealing: 1) McKenna is a lesbian. 2) McKenna is transsexual. 3) Rogue really is a Christian and does not believe in being gay, but does it to survive, although she is manipulated some by McKenna. and 4) McKenna releases Rogue back to SHIELD with the promise she and Rogue will stay close, which Rose breaks in Season 2, and thus McKenna's split with her later)_

_(NOTE: Laura takes down Mr. Sinister and he hold a grudge against her)_

**Episode Ten: "Diplomacy"  
><strong>THE WORST IS YET TO COME- Magneto goes to the U.N. under the guise of diplomacy, but the X-Men sense something more sinister is at work. Gambit's mission takes him down a path he was not expecting and he attempts to back out, but finds his mistake will cost many their lives (Mutant Massacre). Rogue contacts McKenna once more in an attempt to find solace in what she is doing, but the brunette severs ties with her. Rachel's romantic interest in John Sublime worries her team that she has lost her focus, especially considering her mother's struggles. With all of these problems piling on them, X-Force decides to take a break and return to Jubilee's hometown of Los Angeles. While there, a sinister plot against one of the team members unfolds, transforming them and the team forever.

_(NOTE: Magneto pretends to act for diplomacy, then strikes the U.N. HQ, threatening war again and inciting many countries to order Sentinels shipped to their nations)  
>(NOTE: X-Force and Sublime go to LA, while there, a bomb goes off transforming Jubilee into a vampire.)<em>

_NOTE: Mention HYDRA's Helicarrier_

**Episode Eleven: "Sinister Motives"  
><strong>MR. SINISTER STRIKES CLOSE TO HOME- After Laura's battle with Mr. Sinister, Sinister decides to punish her by destroying the two people she loves most: Julian Keller and Amara Aquilla. Laura attempts to rally X-Force behind her, but Rachel claims that Julian's rescue is a mission for the X-Men. Meanwhile Xavier feels he is close to discovering the traitor within his ranks. HYDRA is ready for their attack on S.H.I.E.L.D., Robert Kelly's Sentinels near completion, and the Cure begins production and shipment across the nation.

_NOTE: Amara is abducted as well and receives blue eyes and pale skin making her much more like her comic book counterpart, now that she has dyed her hair._

**Episode Twelve: "Checkmate; Part 1"  
><strong>THE END IS NIGH- Worthington Labs announces that their cure to the X-gene is finished and is being distributed country-wide. President Kelly arms the newly formed Mutant Registration Division with weapons carrying this cure. Magneto prepares for war. Rachel's plans reach a snag when the Phoenix shows up at Worthington Labs and destroys the building. HYDRA's Heli-Carrier launches and wages war on S.H.I.E.L.D. Magneto forces Rogue to work with him to take down HYDRA and seize their resources for the Brotherhood, but is really working on something else. (NOTE: Everything builds up to a major cliffhanger where the SHIELD Helicarrier's engines are shot out and they start to crash into a river.)

**Episode Thirteen: "Unthinkable; Part 2"  
><strong>IS THIS THE END- X-23 and Elijah Bradley go to investigate the Weapon X Project. The spies within both Xavier and Magneto's ranks are revealed. X-Force makes a move that they think will save the world, but has much greater consequences. With an unthinkable ending that could not have been predicted, this is one Season Finale that will leave you wondering: What Happens Next?

_NOTE: Magneto, after helping Rogue free X-23, reveals he has known since Episode 7 that Rogue was SHIELD and X-Men. He forces Rogue to tell Laura, then leaves. Laura can't handle the truth and gets angry. Still exposed to the trigger scent, her animal instincts take over and she stabs Rogue in the heart. Rogue collapses to the floor and dies, telling Laura not to blame herself, and that she loved her. Laura cries over Rogue for mere seconds before X-Force is in her ear shouting Patriot has gone mad and is going after Kate Bishop and Laura is the only one who can stop him—because she's the only one who can kill him. THIS is the FINAL SCENE.  
>NOTE: This episode has to have enough time for X to stab Rogue and discover the truth (earlier in the episode) and still meet up with Patriot to raid the Weapon X facility, where Patriot goes mad and that crosses over to the end of Bishop<br>"Most believe there are two types of people who enter a crucible: those who are strong and survive it, and those who die. There's a third type: the kind that learns to love the fire."_

**PLEASE NOTE: I came up with this episode planner months before I actually began Season 2 and it has experienced frequent changes. This was the final version for where Season 2 would have gone. What I was trying to do was build up as many storylines as possible, then sever them all in the season finale. These would have been resolved in Season 3, which would have taken place a year or two in the future and would have featured:**

**Episode One: A New Threat **(Follow up to explain what happened after "Unthinkable" while still leaving mysteries for the third season.) It would have mainly dealt with the Phoenix Force. First scene is reading Rogue's will, Laura facing her demons in counseling with Jean, skip six months ahead to modern day mutants. Laura breaks up with Julian b/c she needs time to figure out who she is after Rogue's betrayal and death at her hands, Rahne's child is born. Magneto and his Brotherhood have been captured by the Sentinel Project

Gambit looked at the coffin. "I never even knew her name." He noted sadly, and tossed the rose on top.

**Episode Two: Guardians of the Galaxy **(While on a vacation, the [alien race] comes to Earth to wipe out the Phoenix Force and the Grey Family Line. While they murder Rachel's grandparents, the Guardians of the Galaxy swoop in to save her.

**Episode Three: Guardians v. Avengers **(The Guardians try to hunt down [alien race] but find themselves at odds with what is left of SHIELD. Meanwhile, the Red Skull, recently returned (would have occurred in an X-23 short during Seasons 2 and 3) manipulates the Avenger's attitude with the Mind Gem (aka Loki's Scepter from _The Avengers_. The [alien race] murder Scott, Jean in rage, unleashes the Phoenix Force. While Rachel explains she came back to keep an eye on her mom and explains the Phoenix Force, she does not mention her plan to "cure" her mother, despite protests from Kitty and Jubilee, the first part in alienating herself from them. Kitty and Starlord grow close, Piotr disapproves, Illyana catches Kitty kissing Peter and fusses at her, eventually tells her brother, two break up. Laura and Gamora get along very well, Gamora reminds Laura of Rogue, two talk, Gamora helps bring peace to Laura. Gamora leaves sword with Laura, tells her she would only give it to a true warrior, and Laura can contact her at any time using the sword if she ever needs help,

**Episode Four: **Naw, I had nothing for this. A bridge episode to calm down before…

**Episode Five: AXIS: X-Men vs Avengers! Part I** (The Mid-Season Finale. Does it get more badass? While the Avengers confiscated the (Mind) Infinity Stone from Red Skull (from Guardians v. Avengers) they do not realize it is making them more hostile towards everybody, prompting SHIELD and Director Maria Hill (Fury killed in HYDRA battle at end of Season 2, captain goes down with his helicarrier) to send the X-Men to investigate, end of episode leads into huge, destructive battle in middle of NYC, cut in middle of battle. Rahne's child continues to grow at an alarmingly fast pace, already five years old. Laura struggles with her instincts to kill. Kate Bishop and Young Avengers fight Young X-Men as well)

**Episode Six: AXIS: X-Men vs Avengers! Part II **(Basically battle continues, X-Men and Avengers pretty much reach stalemate, Red Skull steals mind gem, lifts spell on Avengers to use gem to do something terribly apocalyptic and HYDRA-like, X-Men and Avengers have to fight and save the day. Good reputation for mutants and Avengers. Charles Xavier has cancer)

**Episode Seven: Asgardian** (Immediately after Avengers vs X-Men, end with X-Men's defeat and Rahne with wolf-prince Focus on Rahne this story. Dunno exactly what I was going to do, but basically the X-Men go to Asgard to aid Thor—but it's Loki! He ends up trapping them all.)

**Episode Eight: As Cold as Ice** (Loki teases Laura about having a heart as cold as ice when he sees her with Gamora's blade and says only those with no compassion can have one. Julian, who is Hellion after Sinister's kidnapping, reminds her of him and she ends up helping defeat Loki.

**Episode Nine: **Nada

**Episode Ten: Plague** (Series Finale! Basically, the CIA and SHIELD recruit X-Force to help hunt down the Legacy Virus, an Extinction Sized biological weapon that could wipe out mutants or humans, bring back old Magneto rivalry for nostalgia, Sublime makes everyone believe HYDRA has it, then betrays them, defeats everyone there except X-23, whom he gives the Virus to. Despite her immune system and healing power, she will die in a year. Oh, yeah, and Rachel gets screwed in her relationship. AGAIN. Basically wrapping up everything except the two stones: the one after Days of Future Past, and another one that would have moved after X-23 killed Rogue.)

X-Men short to take care of Rahne's child

**X-Men: Standing Guard – Apocalyptic Visions (Movie)** So basically, Xavier is dying of cancer, he's almost dead. Laura is almost dead from Infinity Virus. She tries to break up with Julian so he doesn't have to suffer, but he refuses, citing he was with her when he found out she was a mutant, assassin, created by Nazi death cult, etc. and he's not leaving her now. After establishing everything, Jean is called into the deserts of Egypt to scout something. Rachel uses Psylocke and Kitty and helps "cure" her mother of the Phoenix Force - by transferring it into herself! Only Kitty knew of this. The X-Men arrive and chastise Rachel, but Apocalypse awakens, destroying a Great Pyramid. Xavier tries to talk to him, but Apocalypse kills him and leaves, thinking the X-Men no threat. The X-Men, Avengers, Young Avengers, SHIELD, the nations of the world, the Brotherhood, and basically anyone ever mentioned in this series come help. Then, near the end, the Guardians of the Galaxy show up when Laura uses her sword to call Gamora, first time ever. Peter Rasputin is killed in battle and Kitty grieves, but is happy she has Starlord. While evacuating a facility to prepare for the final battle with Apocalypse, McKenna rushes out to save her sister, forcing Laura to drag her away. Kitty, shocked McKenna is alive, is then forced to watch as she is murdered by Apocalypse. She then reveals the TRUE reason why the Hand wanted her, and helps kill Apocalypse. Gamora absorbs part of the Infinity Virus from Laura, as does Julian as part of a ritual, and they cure her of it. All plot lines would have been wrapped up.

**Remember, I wrote this a year ago, and never got around, unfortunately, to finishing it. I would have loved to finish it, but I couldn't. Life's a bitch. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed learning what all you missed out on, Im sorry I couldn't write it, but tell me what you think of the story! If you have ANY questions, message me or review and I will answer them ASAP as best as I can. Loves! Thanks! And I hope you enjoyed X-Men: Standing Guard.**


	24. New Fanfic Coming Soon!

Hello all, I know it's been a while, but I've been busy at work. I won't bore you with my private life and the trivial problems within, and cut straight to the chase. I know it's been a while since I've posted. I'm still sad that the **X-Men** and **Bishop **stories got cancelled, and no, I will not be resuming them, but never fear, I'm here with a plan for another mini-series. It's still in very early development. I've got a picture of it's setting, a picture of the character, and a very small flashback, but I'm proud to announce:

**Star Wars: Favor**

Star Wars has been my longest passion and one of the inspirations for my writing. I've always been a big fan, but with the recent comic-book takeover of the media, I've lost my way. Fortunately, and appropriately timed, I'm back at it, writing my first **Star Wars **story in quite some time. With the strange, new canon, the upcoming movies and TV series, and due to my being out of touch with a galaxy far, far away for a long time, I will probably mess up some terms. Feel free to correct me if I make a mistake, and I will happily implement it.

_**So what is **_**Favor?**

**Star Wars: Favor** is going to be a 9-part mini-series taking place on a new planet in the Mid-Rim called Nala'a'dere. Nala'a'dere is a vacation hotspot for members of the Imperial Senate, luxury Coruscant businessmen and anyone who is anyone. It's also home to our hero, a female Twi'lek Force user who has seen what evils the Empire is capable of after the massacre of her village at the very end of the Clone Wars, and how the clone troopers turned on their Jedi General, killing him in the streets. Jaklya, our heroine, fights not only against the Empire, but against the galactic stereotype that all Twi'leks are sex items, to be used and discarded. This story is not only one of a savior among innocents, but of a woman attempting to separate herself from the weakness normally ascribed to her people.

In this series, you will learn about Jaklya's past on the third moon of Ryloth, including her first encounter with a Jedi, and witnessing the brutality of the Empire for the first time. You'll meet some of her surviving family members, who may hold interesting surprises and alliances, and follow her across the galaxy with her love, the prestigious and proper Dak Kell, a warrior prince from a fallen planet who holds his own surprises. Perhaps the most interesting thing about Jaklya however, is that she is neither Jedi nor Sith, and received no training in regards to the Force. So what is she and how did she learn the mysterious ways of the Force? That is a story you'll have to wait to find out! Part Original Trilogy throwback, part brave, new worlds and part social commentary, **Favor** is an exciting new project I can't wait to get started on!

_**So when is it coming out?**_

Well, that's the question, isn't it? I'm still very busy, and it doesn't look like life is slowing down at all, some would say it's the reverse... (sorry, can't help myself.) But I'm hoping to have some demos of the return to a galaxy far, far away throughout the Summer and hopefully the first part out in the Fall. Don't hold me to it though!

For more details, check my profile page, and to be alerted of updates, follow me on Twitter! (Link on profile page)


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